


The Quarter Mile

by GeminiRhian



Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: Also I'm really horrible at summaries, Also using names listed on the wikia pages, And making up last names for some characters, Awkward, Emotional, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, How Do I Tag, I cried writing parts of this, M/M, Multi, definitely emotional, going to have fun doing it, i don't even know what i'm doing, just going to fuck shit up, just winging it, liberal use of languages I don't even speak, like at all, probably going to mess with timelines, self-insert fix-it, some totally unbelievable and impossible things happen, summaries hate me, which is right on par with the series itself I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-11-10 11:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11125821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeminiRhian/pseuds/GeminiRhian
Summary: This is pretty much just a retelling of the story we all know and love, just with a few tweaks here and there. This is MAINLY a Jesse love story, kind of. There are obviously other relationships going on, keeping with canon as much as possible there. Hopefully you guys like it and if not, well, that's okay too.





	1. Surprise!

**Author's Note:**

> Some people are likely to recognize this story, as it is posted over on fanfiction.net. Before people start freaking out over me stealing it, the story is mine, I promise. I have decided to go through and, finally, edit the story to give myself inspiration for even more chapters. I have also changed my username on fanfiction in order to reflect this one.
> 
> Enjoy!

There was a new driver here tonight, someone from out of town, but they knew the rules. Dom smiled to himself as he watched the driver hand Hector the money, not bothering to get out of the car, which was, in Dom's opinion, a beautiful black Viper with a Wolf howling at the moon on the hood. They’re just another racer to beat, nothing new. He didn't know how wrong he would be.

The racers lined up, waiting for the all clear to go. They were given the signal to take off and take off they did. Tired squealed, rubber burned and colors blurred past the onlookers. It looked as though the King of the Streets would win, but at the last second the new racer took the lead and beat him. The crowd was silent as the cars skidded to complete stops, they waited to see who had beat Dominic Toretto.

The man in question was both shocked and angry as he got out of his car and looked at the car that beat him. The windows were so tinted he couldn't see inside, he'd have to wait until the person driving got out of the car. The driver side window was rolled down and the driver's arm emerged and he soon found himself being pointed at. He raised an eyebrow and found the hand was now beckoning him towards the car.

He contemplated to himself what his chances were as he began walking to the Viper. He glanced around at the audience as he did this, noticing that they were watching him to see his reaction. He thought that they may be waiting for him to explode, with his temper and all, they weren't far off, he was pretty pissed. He looked back at the car and found that the window had been rolled up again, much to his annoyance. As he reached the hood of the car, the door opened and he stopped to see who it was that was exiting the car.

It surprised him that the person was a woman, but it surprised him more so that she looked familiar. He took in her black pants that had chains all on them and the corset shirt that cut off an inch above her belly button, which he noticed was pierced. He couldn't see most of her face due to the fedora hat that sat low on her bowed head. What made him recognize her was one of the rings on her fingers and the cross that matched. They were silver Celtic knots with obsidian stones in the center of them. His anger dissipated and a small smile graced his lips.

"Surprised?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, a bit." He replied just as softly.

"I hope I didn't disappoint with my performance."

"It was certainly an interesting performance. You beat me, the King of the Streets."

The girl tilted her head up to look at him. "You? King of the Streets?"

"Yeah, me. King of the Streets, don't believe it?"

"Eh, I believe it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the way the crowd is watching you waiting for you to explode at the fact that I beat you kinda tips off the fact that it's true."

"Yeah, I suppose that it does, doesn't it."

"Hey, you wanna do me a favor?"

"And what would that be."

"Make Letty stop trying to make me spontaneously combust."

Dom chuckled as he turned to look at Letty, who was indeed looking as though she was trying to make the girl spontaneously combust, and waved her over. She looked a bit skeptical, but walked over anyway, still glaring at the girl.

"Letty, this is-" Dom began.

"It's good to see you Letty." The girl said, cutting Dom off. "I'ma let you know this again. I'm not into incest."

"Incest?" Letty asked, the glare on her face slowly disappearing.

The girl said nothing as she reached up and removed the hat from her head and thick curls fell to her mid to lower back. The removal of her hat revealed her blue-green and hazel speckled eyes to everyone who was watching. What surprised the crowd though, especially Team Toretto, was that Letty flung her arms around the girl.

Dom laughed and yelled, "Party at my place."

Everybody cheered and then quieted down once again when they heard sirens and quickly got into their cars and began taking off.

"You remember the way?" Dom asked as he and Letty began walking off.

"I'm sure I can manage." The girl replied.

"I'll hold you to that Ash."

"You got it."

The girl, Ash, got into her car and sped off, keeping her eye on Dominic's car so as to not get lost. She pulled into an alleyway as she heard a cop turning the corner and Dom disappeared. She watched from her rearview mirror as Dom came out of a parking complex and pulled his jacket on and began walking before a cop came barreling down the street and caused him to run down another alley. She sighed as she pulled out of the alleyway she was hiding in and cautiously began following after Dom from an adjacent alleyway. She watched as the blonde in an Eclipse picked him up and followed them away from the cops. She stopped her car and shut off her lights as they went out into the busy streets. She watched as they were approached by motorcyclists with guns and watched where they went so she could follow and see what was up. She stepped on the accelerator and followed them after they turned the corner, her lights still off as she watched for cops and other motorcyclists.

She watched as the motorcyclists led Dominic and the blonde off the street and decided that her best bet was to just stay where she was at. About ten minutes later, Ash heard the motorcycles drive off, the sounds of the engines growing faint. As she waited to see the Eclipse pull out of the building area it had been led to, she heard gunshots and stared as she saw the green flames. She sighed as she turned her lights on and drove up to the entrance to find Dom and blonde fine and gave a sigh of relief.

Dom smiled as he saw the car in front of him and the blonde. He watched as the window rolled down and the girl inside smiled at him.

"It looks like you two need a ride." She said with the smile still in place.

"It would seem that way."

"Get in."

The two did so and they were soon off towards Dom's house.

"So, who's he?" Ash asked as she looked at the blonde in the tiny storage area behind her seat that was serving as a very cramped back seat.

"Name's Brian and you are?"

"I'm Ashlynn."

"Nice to meet you."

"Ok, so I know the guy, now tell me what the hell is up with the guys on the 'cycles." Ash said looking over at Dom briefly.

"That was Johnny Tran and his crew." Dom said.

"That tells me who it was, not what the hell is up with them." Ashlynn said giving Dom a pointed look before looking back at the road.

"A business deal went sour and I made the mistake of sleeping with his sister."

Ashlynn sighed and slapped Dom in the arm. "Dumbass."

"Yeah, but you know you love me."

"I love you only because I have to love you." Ashlynn said with a smile as they pulled up to 'The Fort.'

"That hurts, Ash; that really hurts."

"I'm sure it does you big baby."

The three got out of the Viper and Dom began making his way up to the house where a party was going on. Ashlynn followed, noticing that no one seemed too worried about the fact that the man who told everyone there was a party at his house was missing. That's just sad. She smiled as Dom invited Brian in, he normally wouldn't give a personal invitation, someone must not like Brian.

Ash watched as a guy who, she thought, was from Dom's team look up and sputtered out, "Hey. Dom. We were about to go looking for you."

She and Brian watched as Dom's temper reached its limit and he knocked the beer out of the guy's hand, causing the girl in his lap to flinch. They watched at Dom walked over to Vince, Ashlynn remembered him, who was playing a few chords on his guitar.

"This your beer?" Dom asked him picking up the beer next to him.

"Yeah, that's my beer… Yo, Dom! Why'd you bring the busta back here?"

"Because the busta kept me outta handcuffs, he didn't just run back to the fort, the buster brought me back."

"There were mass cops out there, that shit was orchestrated."

Dom walked back over to Brian and Ashlynn, "You can have any brew you want as long as it's a Corona."

Ashlynn smiled, some things never change. She didn't pay attention after Brian asked where the bathroom was, Ash had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from answering; that would take the fun out of everything. She didn't pay too much attention and Dom ruffled her hair a bit as he and Letty headed upstairs as Brian was coming downstairs. Vince and two other guys looked like they were going to gang up on Brian when Ashlynn spoke up.

"Leave the guy alone." She muttered as Mia came up.

"Who the hell are you?" Vince growled.

"You know me, it's sad that you don't remember me though. And don't growl at me Vincent, I'll kick your ass." Ashlynn growled back.

"You couldn't kick my ass." Vince sneered.

"I've done it before." Ashlynn said before turning her attention to the two she didn't know. "Since I don't know you, I assume that you showed up after I left."

"After you left?" The one wearing the jersey asked.

"Yeah, I used to live here, just down the street, but due to some circumstances with my parentals, I had to leave." Ashlynn explained with a small smile. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Leon." Jersey boy replied.

"And I'm Jesse." They boy with the beanie said.

"Since the asshole here can't seem to remember me, I'm Ashlynn." She said with a mock glare towards Vince.

"How do you know Dom?" Leon asked.

"I'm Dom's cousin."

Ashlynn smiled as she saw recognition flash in Vince's eyes before she was swept up in a bear hug.

"Took you long enough." Ashlynn said as she wrapped her arms around Vince as he swung her around in a circle.

"Damn, girl, you grew up. What happened to the dresses and what's up with the chains?" Vince asked as he set her down.

"I stopped wearing dresses after I left, pissed mother off, and I found that I liked this style, so I went with it." Ashlynn said with a smile. “Besides, had to make some kind of an entrance tonight.”

"So, why are you back?" Leon asked.

"Uh, well, mother and father died a little less than a year ago an-" Ashlynn started.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Vince asked.

"Honestly? I didn't feel like talking about it and I forgot the address." Ashlynn replied sheepishly.

"You lived down the street and, I assume, that you were over here quite often and you forget the address. That's kinda sad." Jesse said with a smile.

Ashlynn gave the boy a light push, "First off, you shouldn't assume, it makes an ass out of you and me, and second of all, I didn't particularly care about remembering the address of my house if I wasn't ever going to come back."

"So, why else did you come back?" Leon asked with a smirk to Jesse.

"I inherited the house my parents bought, I have a couple of friends that live with me, but it still got lonely, you know? So I decided to take a vacation, try and get away from the loneliness. I can only stand it so long before I go insane." Ashlynn said. "And when I left twelve years ago, Dom told me I was welcome to come back anytime, so, here I am."

"That's interesting." Leon said. "Not to be rude, but I'm going to get back to the party."

"Don't stop on my account." Ashlynn said with a smile.

"I think I'm going to join him back at the party." Vince said as he kissed Ashlynn on the top of her head. "Good to see ya kid."  
"You too old man."

Vince rolled his eyes. "Jesse, think you can handle showing her around, help he re-familiarize herself with the place?"

Jesse nodded, not bothering to take his eyes off of Ashlynn. Vince rolled his eyes again as he walked off. Ashlynn smiled at Jesse as she watched him stare openly at her.

"You don't have to babysit me, I think I can manage remembering my way around the house." She said as she turned to go to the kitchen.

Jesse watched her before quickly catching up to her. "So, how did you beat Dom?"

"I used his own strategy against him." Ashlynn said as she grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"You got somewhere quiet where people can't eavesdrop?" Ashlynn asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You think I'm going to talk about Dom's strategy in front of people who could end up trying to use it?"

"Good point."

"I know, so, where we going?"

"I suppose the basement would be the best bet."

"To the basement then."

Jesse led the way away from the other people in the house to the only place that no one else was allowed. Ashlynn smiled as she noticed that absolutely nothing had changed, except for the fact that there were two new people and Dom and Letty appeared to be going steady.

"So, what's the big secret?" Jesse asked sitting down on one of the two couches that were down there.

"Well," Ashlynn began as she sat down next to him. "You ever notice how he makes it seem like he's losing?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jesse asked as he watched her take a sip of the beer she grabbed.

"Well, it's just a game, he let's the other racers think that he's losing and then he waits till the last second to use the Noz. I just used it against him." Ashlynn explained.

"But how did you beat him?"

"I didn't let him see that I was racing against him, not that I really think he would have recognized me with just a brief glance, and I just timed it right I guess. I hadn't really expected to win, it just happened that I did."

"I see." Jesse muttered as he drank some of his beer. "So, how long are you here?"

"I don't know, I've got some stuff to do back home, so I'll have to get back to that." Ashlynn replied.

"Interesting, what kind of stuff?"

"Aren't you nosey." Ashlynn stated with a smile. "Dancing, I instruct some kids classes, and I have a kid to take care of." She winced as she realized what information she let out into the open.

"A kid, really? You're only, what, twenty?"

"Yeah, a kid, and actually, I'm twenty-three."

"How old is it?"

"He's seven."

"Sixteen year old mom, what was it like?"

"You're actually curious?"

"Yeah, I guess. Nothing else to talk about."

"You're not like other guys are you?"

"Well, most of the time, I suppose that I am, but I think Dom would probably castrate me if I tried anything I normally do."

"That's probably true. Good thing he doesn't know I have a kid, he's totally flip out."

"Yeah, he would definitely flip out."

"Who would flip out about what?" Came Dom's voice from the stairs.

"Ah, shit." Ashlynn muttered.

"'Ah, shit,' what Ash?" Dom asked.

"Can we talk about it when you come to my house?" Ash asked with puppy eyes.

"Talk about what? And when was it decided that we were coming to your house?"

"The thing I don't want to talk about. When I ended up beating you at the races." Ashlynn said with a smile. "Come on Jesse, let's go back upstairs."

Ashlynn got up and walked past Dom on the stairs, but as Jesse went to follow, Dom blocked his way.

"Jesse, stay here, we're going to talk." Dom said. "Just go on upstairs Ash. We'll be up shortly."

"Dom, leave it alone, I'll tell you when I think you can handle it." Ashlynn said calmly.

"What can't I handle Ash?" Dom asked, his temper starting up again.

"I'll tell you later."

"No, you'll tell me now."

"Dom, leave it alone."

"Tell me Ash."

Ashlynn looked at Dom, a glare on her face. "No, Dom, I'll tell you when I think you can handle it. And right now, I don't think you can handle it. So let Jesse go upstairs with me."

Jesse, who had been watching the whole exchange quietly, glanced back and forth between the two, wondering what was going to happen. He knew Dom was stubborn and hardly ever gave up, but he could also tell that Ashlynn was the same way with how she'd been talking to Dom.

"Ashlynn, tell me, please." Dom said softly.

"Dominic, stop prying right now. I will not be the reason that you go back to Lompoc." Ashlynn said, the glare fading from her face.

"What are you talking about?"

"If I tell you about this you'll freak out, and you'll go after who it was that had a hand in it and you'll end up getting sent back. I refuse to let that happen."

"I won't go back, I promise I won't. Just tell me."

Ashlynn sighed, her cousin always was more stubborn than she was. He could always get her to talk. "Fine, but you're going to want to sit down."

"I'm fine standing."

"That's what dad said."

"Just get on with it, please."

Ashlynn looked over at Jesse, who nodded, and sighed. "Alright, but I warned you."

"Ok, I'll keep that in mind."

"Dom, I have- I have a kid."

"What are you talking about?"

"I got pregnant at fifteen and had a kid soon after I turned sixteen. He's seven years old and his father ran out on us."  


It was then that Dom got mad, but then after he let the information that his baby cousin had a child at sixteen sit in he passed out.

Ashlynn looked at Jesse and shrugged, "I warned him."


	2. Uh, Oops?

Ashlynn looked down at her cousin, then up at Jesse, "Think we should move him to the couch?"

"Probably." Jesse muttered.

"Alright, get his feet." Ashlynn said as she bent down and gabbed Dom under his arm and lifted him about an inch or so off the floor when Jesse grabbed Dom's ankles. Slowly they made their way to the couch and got Dom on the couch with very few mishaps.

"Hm," Ashlynn muttered as she looked at Dom again. "What do think, should we stay down here or go up stairs?"

Jesse and Ashlynn looked at each other. "Go up stairs." They said simultaneously.

With that said, the two of them went back up stairs where they almost literally ran into Letty.

"Whoa, what were you two doing down there?" She asked, eying them both.

"Nothing actually, all we did was talk." Ashlynn said.

"And I should believe this because…" She asked as she trailed off.

"Well, you could ask Dom, he came down and we were talking." Jesse said.

"So, where's Dom?" Letty asked, not having seen him come up from the basement.

Jesse and Ashlynn looked at each other.

"About that." Ashlynn said with a sheepish smile. "He..uh, well, he kinda, sorta-"

"He passed out." Jesse said, cutting Ashlynn off.

"Passed out, what do you mean he passed out, he's had hardly anything to drink." Letty said looking between the two.

"Well, he fainted. I told him something that he really wasn't ready to hear and he fainted." Ashlynn said with another sheepish smile.

"So, where's he at now?"

"He's in the basement on one of the couches." Jesse told her.

"So, now you know where he is and we're gonna go get a couple more beers." Ashlynn said, pulling Jesse off towards the fridge.

For the next few hours the party started to wind down and people were leaving. Jesse and Ashlynn talked and drank and, at two in the morning, she showed Jesse the engine of her Viper. She listened as he went on and on about everything, she found it amusing how before he was all twitching and not sitting still and now he was calm as could be as he looked at her car. Ashlynn grabbed her bag out of the car and walked back to the engine, still listening to Jesse, when she saw Dom in the doorway of the house.

"Shit." She muttered, causing Jesse to look up at her.

"What?" He asked as he straightened up and turned. "Oh."

"Yeah. Come on, best get this over with now." She said as she closed the hood of her car.

The two of them made their way up the lawn and onto the porch; all the while Dom was watching them like a hawk.

"Inside." Was all he said.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes and walked through the door, followed by Jesse and Dom walked in after them and closed the door. She sighed as she saw everyone else sitting in the living room, Vince and Leon were close to passing out, Letty was still drinking so she wasn't as bad as the other two and Mia was sober with Brian sitting next to her drinking a beer.

"What are we all sitting here for?" Vince asked, his words so slurred together it was hard to understand him.

Letty rolled her eyes and looked at Ashlynn. "He woke up an hour and a half after you left. I could only keep him from bothering you for so long."

"I appreciate it." Ashlynn said as she sat down on the floor next to the couch where Jesse had taken the last seat.

Dom remained standing, looking down at Ashlynn where she sat, not saying anything. Ashlynn looked up at him, a glare on her face.

"What?" She snapped.

"What do you mean what? How did it happen?" He asked.

Ashlynn laughed, "How did it happen? I was sure you knew the answer as to how it happened."

"How what happened?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, Ash, what's he going on about?" Letty asked.

"He's going on about what made him faint." Ashlynn said as she glared at Dom.

"Tell them Ash." Dom said as he watched her.

"What is your problem with this? Is it so wrong that it happened?"

"At sixteen? It shouldn't happen that soon."

"Which part shouldn't happen, the equation or the product?" Ashlynn asked with a smirk. "Because if you're trying to tell me that equation shouldn't happen at sixteen, then you're being hypocritical."

"Ashlynn, this is serious!" Dom snapped.

"I know it is, but I don't understand your problem with it. It's a risk that was taken, even with the precautions, it's still a risk." Ashlynn snapped back. "What do you want me to do? Say I'm sorry that it happened? 'Cause I'm not."

The others were watching with apprehension, Letty and Mia looked at each other and then back at Dom and Ashlynn.

"Ash, what's going on?" Mia asked as she looked between her brother and her cousin.

Ashlynn looked over at Mia and went to say something but saw the look on Letty's face. "Figure it out Letty?" She asked.

Letty looked at her with slightly widened eyes. "You had a kid." She said softly.

"Yup." Ashlynn said as she looked back to Dom. "Happy now? They know."

Vince looked over at Ashlynn, watching as she sat there staring at Dom. "At sixteen Ash?"

Ashlynn looked over at Vince. "Still sober enough to understand what's going on, huh?"

"Answer the question Ash." He said softly.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, at sixteen V, are you going to freak out on me too?" She asked sadly.

"Nah, I'm not going to freak out." He said, his voice still soft as he motioned for him to come over to him.

Ashlynn complied, leaving her bag on the floor as she stood up and walked over to him. Vince pulled her down to sit on his lap and held her as she curled against him. Letty watched Ashlynn as she seemed to break and looked at Dom with a glare. Dom looked back at her with a 'what?' look. Letty pointed to Ashlynn as she continued to glare at Dom and he sighed. This was one time where he was wrong and shouldn't have flipped out. And now he had to apologize.

"Hey, where's Ash staying?" Mia asked, looking at Dom.

"Well, Letty's room is empty right now, so she could stay there." Dom said.

Vince looked down at the girl in question and she seemed to have fallen asleep. He went to get up when Dom stopped him and gently took the sleeping girl from him.

"Jesse, bring her bag." Dom said quietly as he began ascending the stairs.

As they got to the second landing, Ashlynn stirred. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to put you in Letty's old room." Dom replied. "Don't worry about anything, alright?"

Ashlynn just nodded, not really wanting to say anything. As they reached the room, Dom carefully opened the door and walked in, Jesse behind him with Ashlynn's bag. Dom set her down on the bed and turned to Jesse.

"Just leave it on the floor." He said softly as he went to walk back to the door.

Jesse did as he said and put the bag down and left.

"Dom?" Ashlynn called softly to him as he reached the door.

"What is it?" He asked just as softly.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" She asked.

Even in the dark, Dom could see that she was trying not to cry. He knew that if he was mad at her, she'd be upset for a long time. He didn't know why she was that way, because if Mia were to get mad at her, it wouldn't bother her, but if he were to get mad, it'd probably kill her.

"No, I'm not mad at you." He said as he walked over and sat down next to her.

"Really?"

"Really Baby Girl, I could never be mad at you."

"Sure seemed like it earlier."

"I know and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act like that and I really shouldn't have acted like that."

Ashlynn smiled sleepily as she sat up and hugged him. "You're a big softie, you know that?"

"Just don't tell anyone." He said as he hugged her back.

"Just so you know, I think that they're already aware of that fact." Ashlynn said as they parted and she laid back down.

Dom chuckled as he stood up. "Get some sleep Baby Girl." He said as he kissed her forehead.

"I will Big Brother." She mumbled as she fell asleep.

As Dom walked out of the room he found Letty leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

"So?" She asked, looking at him from behind some of her loose hair.

"Everything has been cleared up." He said softly.

"Good, come on, let's go to bed." Letty said softly as she grabbed Dom's hand and going down the hallway towards Dom's room.

As everyone settled in for sleep, no one seemed to notice that Ashlynn was moving around listlessly in her sleep. This would happen every now and then, she'd have nightmares when she was in an environment she didn't recognize. Though it's strange, one would think that she knew she was safe in this house, Dom and Vince and Letty were there to protect her, but she felt as though she were in danger and her subconscious was showing her all the things that could go wrong. As she tossed and turned she ended up moving herself up towards the headboard and hit her head causing her to wake up. She sat up in bed and looked around, making sure that nothing was there to hurt her, and sighed. She looked around the room, barely able to see anything with the light from the moon; none of this was hers, nothing in this house was. Maybe that's what was causing her to be this way, maybe not, but she couldn't be sure. She looked at the clock that was sitting on the nightstand; it was almost four in the morning. At this rate, she'd never get any sleep. Maybe she should just get up and read or something.

She sighed and got out of the bed and looked down at herself, noticing that she was still dressed in the clothes she'd worn yesterday, and walked over to her bag to get a change of clothes. She grabbed a pair of her pinstriped Daisy Duke styled shorts, a tank top, and a long sleeved t-shirt with chains on the forearms of the sleeves that would probably cover her shorts after she changed. She walked back to the bed and sat down to remove her boots, after completing that task, she changed out of her pants into the shorts and began unlacing the corset she wore. After she had loosened up the corset enough for her to pull it off over her head, she did so and pulled on her tank top, followed by her long sleeved t-shirt, and then folded up the clothes she'd been wearing and placed them in a pile on the floor near the foot of the bed with her boots next to them.  
Ashlynn sighed again and laid down on the bed again to try and get some more sleep. As she laid there on the bed, she found herself rolling over and over, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. She rolled over once more and looked at the clock and saw that it was now five fifteen in the morning and glared at the wall as she sat up. Getting to sleep would be impossible she decided as she got out of bed and quietly walked down the stairs, trying not to wake anyone else up. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a banana as she hopped up on the counter. She peeled the banana and went to take a bite out of it when she saw Jesse coming into the kitchen. Jesse didn't seem to notice her, because when he looked up and saw her on the counter he jumped, placing a hand over his heart as though to calm it down as he did.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Ashlynn said softly.

"No, it's alright, I should have been paying more attention." Jesse said just as softly.

"I didn't wake you, did I? If I did, I'm sorry about that too."

"No, I always get up early. I'm normally the first one up."

"Why is that?"

"I have that disorder, that attention one."

"A.D.D.?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"I see, so that's why you're all jittery."

Jesse looked at her questioningly.

"You were all jittery this morning and then when I showed you my car you were…calm, relaxed, I suppose." Ashlynn explained.

"Oh."

"Why is that?"

"Something about cars calms me down."

"Haha, I suppose that's a good thing. It would suck if you were all jittery while working on a car. Probably screw something up."

Jesse gave a small smile. "Yeah, that would be bad."

Ashlynn smiled before she ate some of her banana, watching as Jesse went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

"You're having a beer? At nearly six o'clock in the morning?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Che, it's not the best thing to have first thing in the morning."

"Oh? And what is?"

"Well, maybe a cup of coffee or breakfast, something healthy for six o'clock in the morning."

"And what do you propose?"

"Well, I was thinking about making coffee, maybe some eggs, bacon, possibly some pancakes or waffles."

Ashlynn looked over at Jesse as she finished the banana and saw his eyes were a bit wide. "What?"

"You plan on making all of that?"

"Uh, yeah, I was planning on it."

"You're going to make enough for everyone?"

"There's eight people in the house, that's nothing compared to some of the events that I've cooked for in the past."

"And where are you going to get everything to make this breakfast?"

"What time do stores open around here?"

"Six thirty or seven, why?"

"Cause you and I are going shopping."

"How did I get roped into this?"

"What do you think Dom's reaction would be if something was to happen to me and you knew where I was going?"

Jesse stared at her. "Point taken. When do we leave?"

"Are you decent enough to go to the store now?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Then we go now."

"Aren't you going to change?"

"I changed two hours ago and I'm comfortable in what I'm wearing."

"Ok, we'll go now then."

Ashlynn smiled as she hoped down off the counter and quickly went upstairs to grab her car keys and quickly came back down to find Jesse still in the kitchen.

"Ok, come on." She said softly before she headed out the back door.

Jesse was quick to follow her, quietly shutting the door after himself, and out to her car. As soon as he got in, Ashlynn turned the key in the ignition and they sped off away from the house.

"What time does everybody else get up, usually?" Ashlynn asked.

"Nine or ten, just depends."

"And what the hell do you do for those four or five hours?"

"Designs, schematics, whatever I can to keep from being bored."

Ashlynn looked over at Jesse like he was insane. "I'd go crazy with nothing to do for that long."

Jesse just shrugged, watching as Ashlynn turned her attention back to the road as they came up to the store they'd decided to go to.

"I manage." He muttered as Ash parked and cut the engine.

"To each his own I suppose." She said as she removed her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Jesse said nothing as he followed after her into the store, hearing a beep signaling that the car was locked and armed. It was six forty-five, they were lucky that this store was open early. They went through the store getting a multitude of the food that they needed and were at the check out in about forty minutes. It took ten minutes to get through the check out and they were out of the parking lot five minutes later. When they got back to the house it was nearing eight o'clock and Ashlynn set to work to get everything ready.

It was just before nine when she finished and Jesse helped her set the food on the table. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, pancakes, crepes, jam, butter, syrup, orange juice and milk on the table when they were finished. The two of them quickly cleaned up the few pans that were used to make everything and grabbed glasses for everyone to set on the table. It was a few minutes later that they heard someone moving around upstairs. Ashlynn smiled as she walked into the living room and walked up the stairs to see Leon coming out of his room.

"Morning!" She said with a grin.

"How can you be so hyper?" He asked, his head pounding as he looked at the girl he'd just met last night.

"I don't know actually, I'm not normally a morning person, but I suppose someone has to be up to wake the rest of you up."  
Leon tried to glare at the girl, but the pounding of his head made it near impossible.

"You might wanna go downstairs now."

"Why?"

"Don't ask, just do."

"Whatever."

Leon followed her instructions and went downstairs and into the kitchen and Ashlynn heard him say 'holy shit, that's a lot of food.' Ashlynn smiled as she turned her attention back to what she'd come up here for.  
She walked down the hall towards Mia's, Dom's, and Vince's rooms and grinned.

"IT'S TIME TO GET UP! UP, UP, UP! BREAKFAST IS READY!" She yelled. She heard two bodies hit the floor and started laughing.

Vince's bedroom door opened and he stuck his head out to glare at her, but much like Leon's glare, it didn't work well. Ashlynn grinned and waved to him.

"Better run Baby Girl." He growled, wincing at the volume of his voice.

"You've got a hangover and you're threatening me, that's not very smart. I think that you're going to end up hurting yourself, not me." Ashlynn said with another grin.

"Baby Girl?" Came Dom's voice.

"Yes, Dom?" She asked.

"What in the hell are you yelling for?"

"Breakfast is ready and it's getting cold. I've been up since four in the morning, I made breakfast and I refuse to let you guys let it go to waste just because all y'all drank yourselves stupid and are hung over this morning." Ashlynn explained.

"You couldn't have woken us up any other way?" Dom asked.

"Yeah Baby Girl, you coulda been more nice about it." Vince said.

"Would you guys have gotten up otherwise?" Ashlynn countered.

"She's got you guys there." Letty's voice sounded behind Dom.

"See, she knows what I'm talking about." Ashlynn said. "Anyway, Letty, make sure Mia's up. I have to make sure Leon isn't eating all of the food I made."

Ashlynn made her way back downstairs and into the kitchen, Jesse and Leon were sitting at the table, waiting for the others so they could start eating. Vince and Dom soon made their way into the kitchen, their eyes going slightly wide at the sight of all the food before they sat down. It wasn't too much later that Letty came down, followed by a red-faced Mia and Brian and they too sat down at the table. Upon seeing Brian, Vince went to get up, but a glare from Ashlynn kept him sitting and keeping his mouth shut, though the glare on his face didn't disappear at all.

Once they were all seated, grace was said and they all began grabbing food and piling it on their plates. As they ate, there was a bit of talking and as they finished, Ashlynn collected all of the dishes and placed them in the sink and began washing them. She heard the others get up and go about their business in getting ready for work at the garage. Dom walked back into the kitchen as Ashlynn finished up washing the dishes.

"Hey Baby Girl, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" She asked, turning around to look at him as she pulled her sleeves back down.

"I need you to-" He began, but cut off when he saw what she was wearing. "What are you wearing?"

"Shorts and a t-shirt, now what do you need me to do?"

"We're talking about your clothes later." He said. "I need you to take Brian back to his place and then come to the shop."

"Why am I taking Brian to his place?" Ashlynn asked.

"Because Vince is the only other one who can right now and he doesn't like Brian."

"Ok, whatever you need. I'll do it."

"Thank you Ash." He said kissing her forehead. "We're still talking about your clothes later."

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered as Dom turned around and left.


	3. He Owns You Now

Ashlynn sighed as she walked out to her car with Brian following behind her. Both of them were silent as they got in the car and took off away from the house.

"So, where are we going?" She asked him.

"Racer's Edge," He said, not looking at her.

"So, what does Dom want from you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't race for shit, but yet you were in a race against Dom, what did you use to bribe your way in?"

"I raced him for my car."

"You mean that blown up Eclipse?"

"Yeah, that would be the one."

"Ok, so since it's blown up, what does he want from you?"

"He says I owe him a ten second car."

"He owns you now, you know that right?"

"What do you mean?"

Ashlynn laughed. "You owe him a ten second car, and something tells me that you don't have the type of money to buy a new car, so you're going to have to find some other way to fix up a car. And, since you don't look like you have the money to buy a new car, I'm going to assume that you don't have the money to fix up a not so new car and you're going to have to use Dom's connections to be able to fix it up. He owns you."

Brian looked at her weird. "If you say so."

"I do say so." Ashlynn said as they pulled up to the Racer's Edge.

"Ok then, see you at the garage then."

"You better have something good."

"I will, I will."

"Sure you will."

Ashlynn didn't give him time to reply as she sped off to the garage. Twenty minutes later she arrived at the garage and walked in to see Mia working the counter and no one else in sight.

"Hey Mia," She greeted.

"Hey Ash," She said with a smile. "They're in the garage."

"Yeah, I figured, thanks though." Ashlynn said as she made her way to the garage where she saw the others all bent over working on different cars. She silently walked over to Jesse and stood beside him, watching as he worked, not bothering to give him any indication of her presence. It was about ten minutes later that he noticed her and he freaked out, hitting his head on the hood of the car.

"Holy shit!" He yelled, causing the others to all jump and let out various curses as Ashlynn laughed.

"Ah, you… should….have seen… the…the look….on your face!" Ashlynn said, her face turning red from all the laughing as she doubled over.

"That was not funny." Jesse said indignantly.

"Oh, but…but it was."

"Whatever."

Jesse went back to working on the car, ignoring the others as they all chuckled and laughed at him.

"Ash, come on, leave the kid alone." Dom said as he waved her into his office.

Ashlynn smiled as her laughter subsided and walked into Dom's office.

"So, what's up?" She asked as she sat in one of the chairs in front of Dom's desk.

"First, what's with the clothes?" Dom asked leaning against his desk in front of her.

"It was hot this morning when I woke up at four in the freaking morning."

"It was hot and you put on a long sleeved shirt?"

"Ok, so my legs were hot and my arms were cold, I figured I'd put the shorts on under because it would be modest."

"I don't like it."

"Well you don't have to; you're not the one wearing it."

"Whatever. Second, what's with you and the kid?"

"Jesse?"

"Yes, Jesse."

"I like him, so what?"

"You like him?"

"That's what I said."

"Don't get smart with me, Ash."

"Look, I like him; I haven't liked anyone since I had my son. Be a little happy for me, please."

Dom looked down at Ashlynn and was about to say something when Brian pulled up with a destroyed car on the back of a flatbed trailer. Ashlynn rolled her eyes as she and Dom walked out of the office.

"Boy, you said you would have something good." Ashlynn said as she walked up next to Jesse to look at the car.

"I said you owed me a ten second car, not a ten minute car." Dom said with a half grin on his face.

"You could always tow it across the finish line." Jesse said, turning back to look at Brian and Dom.

"You couldn't even tow that thing over the finish line." Letty said, putting in her two cents from where she was leaning against another car.

Ashlynn zoned out on the conversation as she shook her head at the beat up Supra that Brian had brought in. She vaguely heard Mia tell Brian that Dom owned him now and she turned around and smiled.

"Told you so blonde."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ashlynn watched as everyone went back to work, looking in at some of the engines every now and then, speaking when she felt it was needed. At about lunch time the guys and Letty all took a break.

"So, Ash, how long are you staying?" Vince asked.

"Only a few days, I have to get back to my son." Ashlynn replied.

"Why didn't you bring him?"

"Did you not see me race last night? Did you not see the reaction I got when I told Dom I had a kid?"

"I apologized for that." Dom said.

"I know and I appreciate it."

"That's a good point though." Vince said.

"Anyway, I have to get back to him. Maybe after Race Wars you guys can all come up and see him." Ashlynn said as she smiled at the team.

"Sounds like a plan, Baby Girl." Dom said as he grinned back at her.

"Cool."

Later, after closing time, the team was all back at the house and they were getting ready for dinner; Dom was grilling chicken and Letty was nearby, Jesse, Mia, Brian, and Ashlynn were in the house getting refreshments and the salads and utensils and the like. Leon and Vince just pulled up with more beer and other groceries just as the four walked out of the house. Vince saw Brian and got pissed; he handed his bags off to Leon and turned back towards his car.

"Vince, where are you going? Get back here and help." Dom called.

"Looks like you got all the help you need brother." Vince called back as he opened his car door.

Ashlynn sighed as she quickly set the things she was carrying down on the table and run up to Vince. She jumped on his back, keeping him from getting in his car.

"Vinny!" She whined. "Come on, don't go."

"I can't deal with this," He growled. "Get down, Ash."

"No," Ashlynn growled back. "You will not keep running away from things that piss you off. And don't growl at me."

"Get down Ash," Vince said as calmly as he could, his voice shook with the contained anger.

"Fine, run away," Ashlynn said as she jumped down off his back. "Be a coward." She hissed, punching him in the arm before she turned and ran back to the table.

"He'll be back," Leon said. "He can't do anything on an empty stomach."

"Yeah, whatever," Ashlynn muttered under her breath as she helped set the table.

Just as predicted, Vince came back soon after they started eating, and Dom told him to sit his ass down; Ashlynn however, didn't even look at him.

That night Ashlynn laid in the bed in Letty's old room and stared at the ceiling, unable to get to sleep. She had to wonder if it was the fact that it wasn't the room she used as a child, or maybe it was the fact that she was used to laying next to her son as he fell asleep so as to know that he was safe, and sighed softly to herself. She got up out of bed and paced for a few minutes before walking out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen.

"Something wrong," Someone asked her.

"Can't get to sleep," She said softly, looking over to see Dom sitting at the table with a beer. "What are you doing down here?"

"I sort of made Letty mad." He said with a ghost of a smile.

"You're a master at that, aren't you?"

"Maybe, what's it to you?"

"Nothing, I just find it funny is all."

"Anyway, so why can't you sleep Baby Girl?"

"I don't know, it could be that it's not the same room I used when we were younger or it could be that I'm not used to being away from my son for so long; separation anxiety maybe."

"I see, that's interesting."

"To you it is, but I'd really like some sleep."

"You're old room is still there."

"Yeah, but someone else is using it." Ashlynn smiled as she took a sip of Dom's beer.

"So, I'm sure that Jesse wouldn't mind sharing."

Ashlynn nearly choked on the beer as she heard what Dom said. "Whoa, first you were against me and Jesse and now you're trying to set me up, what the hell. Make up your freaking mind."

Dom just grinned. "You know where you're room is at." He took his beer and made his way upstairs, leaving Ashlynn to think about what he'd said.

"Ass," She muttered as she sat there thinking. It was thirty minutes later that Ashlynn sighed and made her way back up the stairs, she paused outside the door of her old room, debating as to whether she should enter or not. Sighing, she told herself, "He's just a boy," and walked into the room quietly. She looked around the room, noticing that there were pictures, upon pictures, upon pictures on the walls before going over to the bed.

Jesse started as Ashlynn barely touched his arm, scaring her in the process before he spoke. "What's up?" He asked tiredly.

"Nothing, just got some nightmares keeping me up, would it be alright if I crashed here with you?" Ashlynn said softly.

"Huh? Yeah, sure." He mumbled as he shifted over a bit to allow her to lay down next to him.

Ashlynn smiled as she slid under the blanket next to Jesse, curling up against him. "Thanks Jess." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

"Uh-huh," He managed to mumble as he draped an arm over her protectively, falling back to sleep.  
Ashlynn sighed softly, finding herself exceedingly tired considering she'd not been able to sleep last night, and found herself falling asleep almost instantly.

When Ashlynn woke, she heard snickers coming from behind her and groaned. She turned her head and found that Leon and Vince were standing just inside the room, laughing softly at her and Jesse; who was still asleep. She paid no attention to Vince and flipped Leon off and then turned back towards Jesse.

"Go away." She muttered. "You can poke fun at me later Leon, I'm trying to sleep right now."

"Come on Baby Girl, it's time to get up." Vince said, trying to get her to talk to him.

Ashlynn paid him no mind as she snuggled closer to Jesse, intent on getting back to sleep as she was still in a state of grogginess. She vaguely heard Leon convince Vince to leave and she fell back to sleep. The next time she woke, it was to Jesse's voice.

"Ashlynn… Ash, come on, it's time to get up." He said softly.

"Time is it?" She asked groggily.

"It's after noon."

"I don't want to get up, I'm still tired and I'm comfortable."

"No, it's time to get up, the team left already, they're at the garage."

"Then what's the point in getting up?"

"Come on, let's go." Jesse said, poking her in the side.

"EEP!" Ashlynn jumped, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Don't do that!"

"What?" Jesse asked, poking her in the side again.

"That! Stop poking me!" Ashlynn exclaimed, batting away Jesse's hand.

"Why?" Jesse asked, a smirk on his face as Ashlynn glared at him.

"I'm ticklish and you know it." Ashlynn said. "And don't even think about it."

"Think about what?"

"You know what?"

"Do I?"

"Jesse, don't."

Jesse just grinned as he began tickling her, laughing as she tried to push his hands away. "Will you get up now?"

"Fine! Not like I can get back to sleep now anyway." Ashlynn sighed. "Jeez, a girl can't get any sleep at all."

"It's one thirty in the afternoon, I think that you've gotten enough sleep."

"Yeah, yeah." Ashlynn muttered as she stood from Jesse's bed and stretched. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"I'll be downstairs."

"Alright," Ashlynn said. "Thanks Jesse."

"For what?" He asked.

"For letting me sleep here last night." Ashlynn said as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Just thanks."

"Uh, sure. You're welcome."

Ashlynn smiled softly and left the room for Letty's old room, grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom. Ashlynn heard Jesse walking down the stairs as she got in the shower; she'd bet fifty dollars that he was going to get a beer. Twenty minutes later, Ashlynn found herself with somewhat of a dilemma; she'd forgotten a shirt. Now, this is normally not a big deal, seeing as how Letty's room was just across the hall to the left, but Jesse was still in the house and she'd rather not deal with that embarrassment. Ashlynn resolved herself and decided that she needed a shirt and she needed it whether or not Jesse saw her half naked before walking out of the bathroom and straight into Jesse who looked like he was about to knock on the door.

"Oh shit," Ashlynn muttered as Jesse just stared at her. "Hey, Jess…Jesse?"

"Huh?" He asked, not bothering to look up at her face.

"Jesse-boy, my face is up here and you're in my way," Ashlynn said, her face turning a nice shade of red as she crossed her arms in an attempt to cover her breasts; probably not smart, seeing as the action squished her breasts up and caused the fabric of her bra to tighten across her chest and give Jesse a better view.

"Huh, wha-oh…" He said, averting his eyes away from her before mumbling, "Sorry."

"I need to finish getting dressed," She said, hoping he'd get the message and move, but he didn't. "Excuse me." She said, a bit more firmly, her face still a shade of red as Jesse finally realized he was supposed to move.

"You know what; I'll just go back downstairs and wait for you there." He mumbled before doing just that and walking down the stairs.

Ashlynn stood awkwardly in to doorway to the bathroom before walking into Letty's room and sifted through her clothes for a shirt, which she swiftly pulled on before pulling her hair up into a bun and going downstairs where the atmosphere was even more awkward.

"Shall we go then?" She asked softly, not quite meeting Jesse's eye.

'What the hell is my problem,' She thought to herself as she slipped on a pair of shoes. 'I slept next to him for most of the night and well into the morning and I'm feeling awkward about him seeing me in just a towel, I was practically wearing less yesterday, what is my problem?'

Jesse, unaware of her silent battle just nodded, muttering a soft "Sure," before heading to the door. Ashlynn followed after him, her mind still in slight turmoil as she got into her car and took off with Jesse following her in his car to the garage.  
When they got there, the others decided they needed to be teased, which didn't make the whole situation that had happened at the house any better. They were teased for the better part of four hours when Dom deemed that they'd had enough teasing and they should be left alone for the time being.

"Thank you oh gracious one." Ashlynn muttered sarcastically when he'd called the teasing off, not that she's been paying attention to Vince who'd been saying some of the most embarrassing things; one would think it would be pretty easy to ignore Vince, and for the most part it had been, but he nearly said things that none of the others, meaning Leon, Jesse, and Brian, needed to know. Thankfully Letty had smacked him upside the head for Ashlynn without her having to say anything about it.

Three days passed by and Ashlynn was still angry at Vince; no matter what he tried to do, she had still remained pissed at him. Ashlynn was leaving today and Vince was still trying to get her to talk to him.

"Baby Girl, please, speak to me." He said as he followed her through the house.

She ignored him as she grabbed a beer from the fridge, not wanting to hear him anymore. Dom, Letty, and Leon had gone in to work on the Supra with Brian; Jesse was going to leave soon to help more with designs and schematics; and Mia was either at school, the café, or studying in her room. Vince sighed, he was ready to give up, but he knew that would make her angrier, so he took the beer from her and set it on the table and wrapped her in his arms. She struggled against his arms, trying to get away from him, but couldn't; he was still stronger than her. She continued to struggle though, she got a look from Jesse as he came into the kitchen, she just shot an annoyed look at him.

"Don't touch that beer, it's mine." Ashlynn told Jesse as he reached for the beer Vince had taken from her and put on the table.

"Why don't you just talk to him?" Jesse asked as he picked the beer up off the table. "He'd stop bugging you."

"I'm mad at him, hence why I'm not talking to him." She said as she struggled against Vince some more. "I said don't touch, it's mine."

Jesse just smiled as he began to walk away.

"Damn it! Jesse, get back here with my beer!"

"No, not until you talk to Vince."

"Ugh, fuck, fine!" Ashlynn hissed. "Vince, let me go."

"Will you talk to me?" Vince asked, unsure.

"Yes Vincent, I'll talk to you, now let me go. He took my beer."

Vince sighed as he let Ashlynn go, only to watch her take off after Jesse.

"Got you!" He heard her say after there was a thud.

"Yeah, and now I can't breathe." Jesse said.

Vince walked into the living room and smirked at the sight of Ashlynn sitting on Jesse's stomach, beer in her hand. Vince laughed as he watch Ashlynn lean down and get in Jesse's face; the boy looked flustered.

"You shouldn't have taken my beer." She said with a smile before she kissed his cheek. "I wouldn't be crushing your lungs then."

"Ok, ok, I get it," Jesse muttered. "I shouldn't have taken your beer, now please get off my lungs; I'd like to breathe again."

"I'm not that heavy you big baby." Ashlynn muttered as she got up off of him.

"Keep telling yourself that," Jesse muttered playfully, jumping up off the floor before she could pin him down again.

"Did you just call me fat?" She asked in mock incredulity.

"No, it's all though muscles you have," He said with a grin before he darted out the from door, leaving Ashlynn alone with Vince.


	4. Going Home

Ashlynn growled after Jesse before twisting off the beer cap and taking a sip, nearly choking on it out of surprise when Vince laid a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard him walk up behind her.

"Shit Vince! Don't do that!" She snapped, turning around to look at him.

"Are you going to talk to me now?" He asked.

"No, I'm going to walk out that door and drive to the shop with a beer in my hand," Ashlynn said sarcastically before going to sit on the couch. "Yes I'm going to talk to you."

"Hey, don't get sarcastic with me. You would have done it, I know you would have." Vince said as he sat next to her.

"I would not. I'm the cousin of Dominic Toretto, I'm sure that cops are waiting for me to fuck up." She muttered softly, a thoughtful look on her face as she took another sip from her beer. "Too late for that, I fucked up almost eight years ago."

Vince looked at her, watching her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on in her head. "You didn't fuck up. Everyone makes mistakes. And that was one of yours. You're probably going to make many more mistakes to, but that's ok."

Ashlynn looked up at Vince and sighed softly, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right, just like I made the mistake of being a coward the other day and ran away." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know you hate that. You've always hated it when people are cowards."

"Not if they have good reason to be." Ashlynn countered, taking another sip from her beer. "Like, if someone were to run for their life, I wouldn't think they were being cowardly, I would think they were being smart. Stupid for whatever they got themselves into, but not cowardly."

Vince chuckled and smiled at her. "You're weird, you know that?"

"Yeah, and? What's your point?" Another sip was taken as Ashlynn raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing Baby Girl, nothing." Vince said, ruffling some of her hair.

"Yeah, sure." Eyes rolled as Ashlynn tried to flatten her hair out, not that it was flat before.

"So we good now?" Hope rang clear in Vince's voice as he asked.

Slightly amused, Ashlynn couldn't help but to forgive him with a grin on her face. "Yeah Vinny, we're good."

"You know I hate that name."

"Yeah, but I'm still gonna call you by it. Childhood nicknames stick."

Vince rolled his eyes and took the beer from Ashlynn, "You shouldn't drink before you have to drive. It's bad."

"Che, I was gonna make you drive me to the garage." Ashlynn said taking her beer back and downing most of what was left in the bottle.

"Damn girl, this might be creepy, but I am not going to lie; that was hot."  


Ashlynn rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Let's go." She announced before finishing off the beer and standing up, brushing imaginary dust from her pants, leaving the bottle amongst others on the coffee table. Vince followed her out to his car and they set off towards the garage.

Upon arriving at the garage, Ashlynn smiled at Mia and headed through the store to the garage and walked over to see what Jesse was doing. She smiled when she saw that he and Brian were talking about schematics for the currently decimated Supra that they were fixing up for Brian to race at Race Wars.

"Man, you should be going to MIT or something," Ashlynn heard Brian say as she walked up.

"Yeah, right.." Jesse said, flicking off the ashes from the cigarette he was smoking, before waving said cigarette around as he continued speaking. "I got that.. Oh, what's it called? That attention disorder…" Jesse trailed off.

"A.D.D." Brian and Ashlynn said simultaneously as she walked up and leaned against the desk the two were at.

"Yes, that shit." Jesse confirmed as he flicked off more ashes from his cigarette. "I always had a problem… Like math, shit.. Everything else, I failed. Dropped out of school. I-I dunno.. It's just something about engines that calms me down."

Ashlynn smiled, listening to them continue talking about the car and what could be done with it. Sometime during the conversation, Ashlynn stole Jesse's cigarette and took a long drag off of it before handing it back to him.

"I didn't know you smoke," Jesse said, slightly surprised.

"That would be because I don't smoke unless I'm drinking or have had a drink." Ashlynn said matter-of-factly, a small smile on her face. "I don't smoke around my son, so therefore, the only time I smoke is if I'm out.. And even then, it's something I rarely do."

"Oh, well, that's good, I heard they're bad for you, could kill you in the long run." Jesse said, a cheeky grin on his face, to which Ashlynn couldn't help but return to him before he and Brian continued their conversation. That's how the day continued in the shop, sometimes she'd be called out to help Letty or the others, but it was pretty laid back.

After closing shop an hour early due to the lack of incoming work, Ashlynn rode back to the house with Jesse, and she was surprised to find a lot of people at the house.

"The hell is going on?" She mumbled curiously as she got out of the car.

"It's a sort of going away party." Jesse said with a smile.

"Dom was just looking for an excuse to party." She said, knowing she knew hardly anyone.

"Yeah, pretty much." Jesse said with a smile.

Ashlynn smiled at Jesse as they walked up to the house after the others. She was surprised to see Hector at the barbeque with various types of meat on it; the group of girls that surrounded him, not so much a surprise. Ashlynn smiled, saying goodbye to and wishing Mia luck on her date with Brian before she went to mingle and get lost in the crowd of people that were there. She stuck around for another two hours before announcing to the team that she had to go, otherwise her friends were going to worry.

"You're sure you can't stay another night?" Letty asked, hoping the younger girl could. "Because no offence to Mia, but she just doesn't have the attitude I need to be around; she's just a little too girly."

"Nah, I have to get back. My son needs me. I do know what you mean about Mia though.. Sometimes I have to wonder how it is that we're related, but she took after her mother, so it's understandable," Ashlynn said with a smile as she hugged Letty. "I expect you all to visit after Race Wars."

"Speaking of your son, what's his name?" Dom asked with a small smile, he had to admit, he was curious.

"His full name is Luciano Christiano Toretto, I decided a full Italian name would be good for him." Ashlynn replied after letting go of Letty. "He asks about family we have because he doesn't have a father, and he only knows my two friends really; they're his aunties. So says him."

"He'll know his family soon." Dom said, hugging Ashlynn, lifting her off the ground in the process.

"He better, he's getting impatient.. I think that would be from me.. though, he could get it from one of his aunties." Ashlynn said, hugging back before she was set on the ground and she turned to Vincent. "And you, stop running away from your problems." She said as she hugged him.

"I'll work on it," He told her with a smile. "It'll be a work in progress."

"Good, I expect it to be better the next time I see you." She said, turning to Leon and hugging the jersey obsessed man. "Nice to have met you; it's always good for there to be additions to the family."

"It was nice to have met you too," Leon said, returning her hug.

Ashlynn smiled as she let go of Leon and turned to Jesse, noticing that the others started walking off to give them privacy. "Hey, Dom, don't go too far, I have sometimes I need to let you know." Dom just nodded to let her know that he heard her and she turned back to Jesse. She smiled again and didn't know what to say to the boy in front of her, so she just hugged him.

"You act like you're never gonna see me again," Jesse said softly.

"You never know," Ashlynn said, pulling back enough to look at his face, her arms still around his shoulders. "I mean, I know that I told you guys that you have to come up and visit after Race Wars 'cause I beat Dom with luck, but things happen and-" Ashlynn squeaked softly as she felt Jesse's lips on hers, effectively cutting her off.

"Sorry, you were, uh, rambling.." Jesse mumbled in a slightly shy manner. "You were going on and on like I do when I can't relax… But I think I found something other than engine that relaxes me."

"I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing… I'm going to bet it's a good thing," Ashlynn muttered softly with a light blush on her face before pressing her lips against Jesse's to keep him from replying. She blushed slightly darker as she pulled away, hearing the wolf whistles and cat calls coming from some of the guys at the party; including Leon and Vince. "I've only known you three days, and it feels like forever." She said softly before pulling a phone out of her pocket. "This is one of my old phones, the only number currently programmed into it is my new number; my address is in the contact info and there's GPS navigation on the phone, but it's somewhat spotty. Call me if and when you feel like it; and if you need anything, my house is always open."

Jesse smiled at Ashlynn and took the phone and put it in his pocket before kissing her again, firmer and longer this time. "I'll see you soon," Jesse said softly, pulling away. "Race Wars isn't too far away and then we'll all be up for a visit."

"Good," Ashlynn said softly. "I gotta talk to Dom really quick and then leave before it gets too late."

"Alright, go talk to him, I'll see you after Race Wars." Jesse told her, stepping away from her.

"Bye Jesse, see you later," Ashlynn said before walking over to Dom.

"So, what's this you need to talk to me about?" Dom asked, his eyes glancing over to Jesse who walked over to a cooler and grabbed a beer.

"No, not about Jesse," Ashlynn paused. "About Brian. And I doubt you're going to like it, but you need to keep calm. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Dom said after slight hesitance.

"I think he might be a cop, Dom. I think he's an undercover cop." Ashlynn said softly, gauging Dom for a reaction. She watched as he tensed up severely, his knuckles white as he gripped his beer bottle, she was surprised it didn't shatter. "Relax Dom, you're going to break the bottle."

"Relax?" Dom hissed angrily. "A cop? You're hunches were never wrong when we were kids. God, Vince thinks Brian is a cop too, but I figured it was just Vince being Vince and hating on Brian. He could be a cop and he's out on a date with my sister. He's probably using her t-"

"No Dom," Ashlynn said, cutting him off. "No, he's not using Mia, he likes her; he legitimately likes her. I can tell."

"How? How do you know?"

"Because he looks at Mia like you look at Letty."

Dom relaxed slightly, but pinned Ashlynn with a stare that would probably make most people piss themselves. "What do you mean, Baby Girl? Like she's a good lay?"

Ashlynn snorted, "Hell no, Big Brother-"

"Then I don't know what you're talking about." Dom said, trying to pretend as if he didn't know what she was talking about; trying to deny what she was saying.

"Don't let Letty hear you say that," Ashlynn said with a smile. "I know that you fool everyone else, hell, sometimes you even fool Letty, but I know. I know you and I know that you love her. You might not be able to tell her, but I know you do; I know that the flirting with the racer chaser skanks are just a way to make Letty jealous, because you like that fire in her and you like to make it flare. Sooner or later, you're going to have to actually tell her; or if you have told her, you'll need to tell her again."

"What's your point, Baby Girl?" Dom asked, downing half of the beer in his hand.

"Point is, is that Brian loves Mia and she likes him, possibly even loves him back.. I'm not saying don't keep an eye on him, just give him a chance… Something is going to happen to make him blow his cover, when that happens it's going to hurt Mia, and he knows it and that knowledge hurts him. He really does care…. Just give him a chance, ok? Don't let him know that you know. Alright?"

"Alright, but you better be right Baby Girl."

"I am, and he's here for a reason you know, he's looking to help catch whoever it is hijacking those big rigs.." She said with a knowing look in her eyes. "Just be careful.. Jesse's got my number and address if you need it."

"Alright, get home Baby Girl."

"Ok, bye for now Big Brother."

With that, Ashlynn walked back to her Viper and smiled when she saw Hector standing there. "What can I do for you Hector?"

"I just happened to notice that you didn't eat any of the food I made; so here's a nice chunk of what was made. Vince picked out meats that he remembered that you liked." He said, holding out two large Ziploc bags with meat in them.

"Thanks Hector." She said as she took the bags from him and holding out a piece of paper with her cell number on it. "Do me a favor; Race Wars, anything happens, call me and let me know about it."

"Checking up on them now?" Hector said with a joking smile as he took the paper.

"Something like that… I wasn't in the picture for a long time, and I missed out on a lot, and I'm not going to let that happen again." She said with a soft smile. "But anyways, I have to get home, I have things that need to get done."

"On your way then. I'll be sure to let you know what's going on."

"Thanks Hector," Ashlynn said, putting the bags of meat in the passenger seat with her bag before walking around the car with a wave to Hector and sliding into the vehicle. Buckled up, she slid the key into the ignition, started the car, and revved the engine, honking shortly before peeling out and back home.


	5. Home Sweet Home

Not twenty minutes later as Ashlynn drove down long forgotten, but familiar streets towards the freeway, she found herself surrounded by motorcycles, much like Dom and Brian had been. Grumbling to herself, she followed them, seeing as at least two of them had guns pointed at her. When they finally got to whatever secluded area it was that they were leading her to, they motioned for her to get out of the car.

"I seriously don't have time for this," She muttered to herself as she opened the door and got out.

"I thought that everyone had time to get reacquainted with old friends." Said one of the guys as they took off their helmets.

"Ah, you must be the Johnny Tran that Dom was telling me about." Ashlynn said as she pushed some of her hair out of her face. "And people that point guns at me without just cause aren't people I'm friends with. Now, if you don't mind, I do have friends I need to be getting home to."

"~I told you it was not her.~" The one wearing snake skin pants said in Vietnamese, causing Ashlynn to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, dumbass," Ashlynn began, glaring at snake pants man. "~I am not her.~"

The snake pant man glared in surprise as Johnny laughed, giving the other man an 'I-told-you-it-was-her-look'.

"Yeah, I can understand you," Ashlynn said, as an after thought, she added, "Mostly. Now, what the fuck are you talking about and who the hell do you think I am?"

"I think you're Ashlynn Toretto, cousin to Dominic and Mia Toretto, old friend of mine." Johnny said with a smirk as he walked towards her as she leaned against the side of the Viper.

"So, what is this? Threaten Toretto family members week?" She asked as Johnny stood inches away from her.

"Threaten?" Johnny asked innocently. "What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap, I know that you know I saw that Eclipse get blown sky high.” Ashlynn snapped. "No way that was friendly, so what do you want?"

Johnny laughed, "You still know me too well."

"Still? What the fuck are you going on about?"

"You honestly don't remember?"

"I try not to think about my past, seeing as I was ripped away from growing up with people that I knew my whole life. So, no, I don't remember or know what you're talking about."

Johnny smiled and let out a chuckle as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Ashlynn without giving her a chance to even think about it. "Just think about who you came to talk to whenever Dominic and the others wouldn't listen."

Ashlynn tensed up and stood there awkwardly as the Asian man hugged her, somehow, that seemed weird or wrong for the man to be doing. Slowly, she found herself sniffing his shirt, recognizing the familiar scent of cologne he'd used for years.

"God, I’m an idiot." She murmured softly, bringing her arms up to return the Asian man's hug. "Little Lotus, that's what you and your family used to call me."

"Indeed we did," Johnny said as he pulled away and looked at her. "They've been wondering where you went and why you disappeared without saying anything."

"Yeah, well, that wasn't my choice," Ashlynn muttered with a scowl before sighing. "But that's not the point. I wanted to tell you what was going on so you guys wouldn't worry, but I never had the chance."

"So what happened?"

"I'll give you the short version, I really need to be getting home." Ashlynn said softly. "Mother wanted to move, pestered Daddy into taking the job transfer up north into the mountains where 'high-society' people lived she said. Daddy finally got annoyed with all the pestering and gave in and took the job offer; I was surprised they hadn't given it so someone else by that time. So, he took the job offer, we had a week to move in before daddy had to start work for the company branch up state and within that entire week, I hardly saw anyone, didn't go to school, as I'm sure you noticed, didn't get to hang out with Dom, Letty, Mia, or Vince; I didn't get to do anything but pack up everything, which sucked.

"So, packing was finished two days before daddy started work, I was very cranky," At this, Johnny chuckled and Ashlynn smiled softly before continuing. "I wanted to say goodbye to you and your family and thank you all for your hospitality, but mother said no and that we were wasting time. I was not happy at all. I said my goodbyes to the team and then we were gone. We moved into the house, I got enrolled in school, I stopped wearing the white, frilly dresses mother would always buy me and eventually I burned all the clothes I didn't want and refused to wear. I started wearing all black, numerous amounts of jewelry, boots, dark make up, almost whatever would piss my mother off, I wore it. As you can see, I still do.

"Anyways, from there, I attended school, I stayed away from people, not wanting to get close, but by doing so, I attracted the two people everyone seemed to avoid. Over time, we became good friends, and I'm acquaintances with a lot of people. And eight ish years ago, I found myself in a relationship with a nice boy; he was sweet, charming, great friend… Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not the person to talk gushy things with, but… I kind of thought he was The One, you know?" She faltered here, sighing and taking a deep breathe. "Well, I was wrong. Dead wrong in fact.. I was about fourteen and a half when we got together.. Fifteen years four months and a week old when I got knocked up.. Sixteen years and one month old when I had my baby; a beautiful baby boy… Three months later, the father ran out on us. He refused to have anything to do with me; wouldn't even acknowledge me in classes where we were partnered; you'd think that would be hard, but he made it look easy. Everyone would stare at me more often than they had before, because I had a baby with me on campus because I couldn't leave him at home, daddy had work and mother wouldn't watch him.

"I didn't let it bother me. I hadn't cared before, why now? So I just continued my life and let things take their course, my two friends stuck by me through everything, they both love my son as if he was their blood nephew and everything was fine." She said with a sigh.

"Was?" Johnny asked.

"Hmm?"

"You said everything was fine, what do you mean?"

"Parents died almost a year ago." She said simply.

"I'm sorry." Johnny said softly, hugging Ashlynn again.

"Yeah, so is the drunk who killed them." Ashlynn said as she returned his hug. "Anyways, now that I've finished my hour long short version of everything that's happened, I really need to get home. I haven't seen my son in four days and I'd very much like to see him."

"Alright," He said, kissing the top of her head in a brotherly manner. "I'd better see you soon."

Ashlynn smiled, "You will." Pulling out a pad of paper, Ashlynn wrote her number down and handed it to Johnny. "Call me sometime, you can meet Luciano."

Getting back in and starting the car, she rolled the window down and smiled when Johnny bent down to look at her. "It was nice seeing you again, despite the gun waving and whatnot. Tell your family I said hi and that I'm alright. I'll visit sometime."  


"You better Little Lotus." He said with a half smile.

"I will Big Hydrangea." She told him with a smile. "And tell your cousin to stop wear snake skin; it doesn't look good on him."  
Johnny laughed and ruffled Ashlynn's hair. "Get home."

Ashlynn smiled, "I'm going."

Rolling up the window, she revved the engine before putting it in gear and peeled out and off home. Just after she got on the freeway, her cell rang, causing her to roll her eyes as she answered it and put it on speaker, setting it back down on the small center console.

"Who are you and why is your number blocked?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the road, looking out for any cops that would possibly pull her over just for being related to Dom.

"Just checking to make sure you gave me your real number." Came Johnny's voice from the speaker.

"Such an idiot, of course I gave you my real number. I might be a bitch, but only to people who deserve it." She told him with a laugh.

"Too true." Johnny replied with a laugh of his own. "Alright, that's all I wanted, make sure you actually unblock my number."

"I will, promise."

"Good."

"I'll talk to you later."

"You better."

"I will."

"Good. Bye Little Lotus."

"Bye Big Hydrangea."

And with that, the line went dead and Ashlynn pushed the end call button and smiled, shaking her head slightly. The people she knew, sometimes she wasn't sure what she'd been thinking when befriending them. She had felt bad that she had forgotten him; he'd been such a big part of her life when her cousin's and friends weren't around. He and his family had helped her during those times, how could she have possibly forgotten them? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to again.  
Smiling again, Ashlynn turned the radio on and continued her drive home, she had a few hours but that was just fine with her. The next time her phone rang, it was around ten and it was one of her friends from home.

"What?" She asked, answering the phone and putting it one speaker.

"It's polite to say hello when you answer a phone you know." The voice on the other end said.

"Yeah, well, it's you Venus, you don't call me unless something happened or you need or want something, and even in those instances you normally text me, so, what is it?"

"Wondering when you'll get here, Luciano won't go to bed until you're home."

"I'll be home in about half an hour."

"I'll let the squirt know."

"Alright, see you guys when I get there."

"Just hurry." And then the line went dead.

Ending the all on her end, Ashlynn rolled her eyes with a smile.

Thirty minutes and twelve seconds later saw Ashlynn driving up the long driveway and into the garage she'd opened with the button. She was barely out of the car when the wind was nearly knocked out of her as she was jumped on by the son.

"Mamma!" The young boy exclaimed. "You're home!"

"Yes I am," Ashlynn said calmly. "And I missed you very much."

She smiled at him as noticed how his face lit up at knowing that she'd missed him as much as he'd missed her. His steel gray eyes shined behind his thick black bangs as he bounced next to her as she pulled the bags of meat out of the car.

"Come on, inside mio figlio." She said softly, ushering him back in the house. "It's past your bed time."

"But Mamma-"

"No, no buts, it's past your bedtime, you have lessons in the morning, remember?"

Pouting, Luciano walked into his room as Ashlynn placed the bags of food on the counter in the kitchen before following her son to his room. She smiled as she found him already under the covers.

"C’mon little man." She said softly as she sat on the edge of his bed, brushing his hair out of his face. "We can talk tomorrow after your lessons."

"Sì signora." He said softly before closing his eyes.

Kissing the boy's forehead, Ashlynn smiled before getting up and leaving the room, turning off the light and closing the door behind her. Sighing softly, Ashlynn walked back out to the garage and grabbed her phone before returning to the kitchen to eat some of Hector's barbeque before it got any colder. Having not been paying attention to her surroundings, Ashlynn was startled and almost hit the ceiling with how high she jumped when her friends spoke from behind her.

"Nice to see you're back." Venus said.

"Yes, we missed you, Ash." The other girl said with a smile.

"Jeez, couldn't you two make some sort of noise, please?" She hissed. "And thank you, Silver, Venus, it's good to be back."  


Ashlynn turned back to the food on the island counter in front of her as Silver and Venus walked into her line of vision. Venus was about the same height as Ashlynn, with a-line cut hair that she was currently growing out, the shortest part of which reached halfway down her shoulder blades, her eyes were a dark hazel and sometimes looked red in certain light; she was the least social out of all of them and was currently dressed in her Jack Daniels night wear. Silver was the shortest of the three of them, only coming up to their shoulders, her eyes were a sliver gray color and she had long straight black hair that was pulled up in a pony tail, most often that not, it was braided; she too was in her Jack Daniels night wear. The three of them were very different from each other, but at the same time, they were all very similar; it was quite odd to say the least.

"So, how's your family?" Venus asked.

"They're good, there are two new people on the Team. Jesse and Leon; they're great guys." Ashlynn said with a fond smile.

"Oooh, Ash likes one of them." Silver said with a smile.

"Yeah, Jesse; he's really great, a lot better than Marcos. He does all the schematics and whatnot for the Team's cars." Ashlynn said softly.

"So, what all happened while you were there?" Venus asked.

"I beat Dom at the races which was broken up by the appearance of police soon after, tailed Dom who ditched his car and was picked up by Brian, who I think is an undercover cop, only to have some old acquaintances of Dom's lead them somewhere and then blow Brian's Eclipse sky high; I took them back to the house where a party was going on already; Dom was pissed. He invited Brian to stay, Vince hates Brian because he and Brian both like Mia, but Mia likes Brian. I reacquainted myself with Vince, met Leon and Jesse, talked with Jesse and told him and Dom about Luciano; Dom freaked out, showed Jesse the Viper; he almost literally drooled. Dom made me tell everyone else about Luciano, went to work with everyone at the garage the next day, reminded me of the good old days. Talked with Brian a bit; Dom totally owns him because he put his pink slip up because he could buy in to the race before mine and then the car got torched.. Uhm, got pissed at Vince, was angry with him for the last three days, finally forgave him this morning before work, spent the day in the garage helping around here and there, went back to the house at five; there was a "good-bye party" for me, Dom just wanted to throw a party… Uh, I said my goodbyes, kissed Jesse and gave him my old phone with my number and the address programmed into it, told Dom about my hunch about Brian being a cop; he was not thrilled. Got this food from Hector, asked him to call me if anything happened at Race Wars. They'll be here after Race Wars, I hope. And then about twenty minutes after I left, I was surrounded by people on motorcycles, at least two of them with guns, so I followed them. They were the same guys who blew the Eclipse up and it turns out it's my old confidant; Johnny Tran; of course, when Dom had told me that it was Johnny and his crew that blew the Eclipse, I didn't remember him, but he and I talked for a good hour, his cronies around us, before he had let me leave; over all, I'd say it was a pretty good and productive trip." Ashlynn explained.

"Wait, they're coming here?" Venus hissed.

"Yes, they are, but thanks for your concern over the fact that I'd been led away by people on motorcycles with guns that had silencers on them." Ashlynn said sarcastically. "The Viper is perfectly fine, V."

"Oh, good." She said with a content smile.

"So weird my friend."

"And your point is?"

"I have no idea, but I'm tired and I have to get up early, so I'm going to go to bed now." Ashlynn said as she stood and stretched before putting the left over meat in the fridge. "Night girls."

"Night Ash," The two chorused together.

Ashlynn sighed softly as she plugged her phone in, turning the volume all the way up, and changed into her pajamas, consisting of a pair of short shorts and a tank top that showed off her belly ring before going into the connecting bathroom and washing her face. After drying her face, Ashlynn dragged herself to bed and curled up underneath the thick duvet, cuddling her body pillow, thoughts of Jesse floating through her head as she drifted off.


	6. Down The Rabbit Hole We Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there will be usage of different languages from here on out. Languages that I don't speak, so I will be using Google Translate for those sections of dialogue or they might be italicized or between special characters like ~this~. So if the translations are incorrect, just let me know and I'll do what I can to fix it. There will be translations at the end of the chapters

Seconds, minutes, hours, and days passed, turning into weeks that eventually led to a month since Ashlynn had been in Los Angeles. Though, to her, it felt more like an eternity had passed, even though she'd talked to Jesse and the rest of the team nearly everyday and sometimes when he wasn't busy, she'd talk to Johnny too. Silver and Venus caught snippets of conversations in Vietnamese, Italian, Spanish and sometimes German during times they passed her during her conversations. When she wasn't talking to anyone from Los Angeles, Ashlynn was giving her son lessons in all different subjects and learning some herself.

Currently, Ashlynn was out in the large field behind their house and stable having a lesson in horse care and riding. She was cleaning the horse's hooves when her phone went off, spooking the horse. Jumping away as fast as she could, she wasn't fast enough to escape the range of the horse's back legs and was kicked on her left hip, causing her to yelp and nearly scream in pain. Cursing as she hopped around on her right leg, she answered her phone without looking at the caller id. "Hello?" She whimpered into the phone, sounding near tears.

"Hey Baby Girl," Dom's voice rang from the other end, concern evident in his voice. "Are you alright?"

"You'd best have a damn good reason for calling me Big Brother," She hissed as Venus came over, having calmed the horse, and prodded at Ashlynn's left hip. "Ow! Venus, don't touch it!"

"Let me look at it."

"No, stop it."

"Ash, just let me look."

"Venus, don't you- Damn it, pull that back up."

"I'm just seeing how bad it is."

"Don't tou- Fuck! That hurts!"

"I would expect so."

"Stop touching me please."

"I think you'll be fine. We'll put ice on it."

"Thank you so much, Doctor V." Ashlynn drawled sarcastically.

"You're welcome, insufferable Ash." Venus retorted just as sarcastically.

"Chica, what's going on?" Letty's voice came across the phone.

"Shit, I'm on speakerphone, aren't I?" Ashlynn asked, causing Venus to bust up laughing. "Oh yeah, laugh it up Venus, laugh it up. Just wait, I'll get you back."

"What just happened?" Dom asked.

"I just got a nice horseshoe imprinted on my left hip… Damn, it's gonna bruise hella bad." She muttered.

"A horseshoe?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, I just got kicked."

"How the hell did you get kicked by a horse Baby Girl?" Vince asked.

"I was having my horse riding lesson and forgot to turn the volume on my phone off, it spooked the horse and I didn't get away fast enough." Ashlynn explained as Venus led the horses back over to her, looking warily at the gray Hanoverian she had been working with. "I think this horse might have it out for me now."

"Don't overreact Ash, Arian likes you. He just got scared." Venus told her as she handed Ashlynn the reins before hoisting herself up onto the back of her dark bay Thoroughbred. "Herra started a bit too. So don't freak."

Ashlynn stuck her tongue out at Venus before turning her attention back to the phone call. "Anyways, is there a reason you all decided to call me right now?"

"Well, Race Wars is in a week, so we figured that we'd call and figure out the finer details of when we shall arrive and all that fun shit." Jesse answered causing Ashlynn to giggle.

"We can call back later though," Mia told her.

"You know what, that would be wonderful. Call back in about an hour and a half."

"Alright, we'll call back then Baby Girl." Dom said and they all said their goodbyes and hung up.

"Fun shit," Ashlynn muttered, turning the sound off on her phone and then put it in her pocket. "Oh this is going to be just great." She grumbled as she prepared herself to get up into the saddle while Venus just giggled. "Keep laughing V."

"Oh, I will." Venus informed her with a grin. "Ahah, my face hurts!"

"That's what you get for grinning and laughing at me." Ashlynn said as she hoisted herself up, much less gracefully than Venus had and a lot less slower due to the kick to the hip she received. "Damn, that's going to hurt for a long time yet."

Ashlynn and Venus headed back to the stable at a steady canter, bantering back and forth like they're usually wont to do. Reaching the stable a few minutes later, Ashlynn groaned at the thought of getting down from the horse and Venus snickered.

"Shut up!" Ashlynn hissed, mostly playful before whining. "It hurts."

"You'll be fine." Venus said as she swung herself off the horse.

Ashlynn stuck her tongue out a slowly, very slowly followed Venus's example and lowered herself to the ground. Whimpering softly as she touched the ground, she led Arian into his stall before she began to get the horse unbridled and unsaddled as Venus had shown her before. Brushing the horse gently, Ashlynn patted his side before leaving the stall, closing and locking it behind her and meeting Venus outside, as she had finished a few minutes ago. Limping along beside Venus, Ashlynn nearly groaned when her phone started vibrating.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hello Little Lotus." Came Johnny's voice.

"Hello Big Hydrangea."

"What have you been up to today?"

"Teaching Luciano, getting kicked by horses, nothing much really."

"That's goo- Wait, you got kicked by a horse? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good, bit of a limp, gonna have one hell of a bruise, possibly bleeding and scabbing in some places, but I've been told I'll be fine." Ashlynn told him before letting out a squeak as Venus poked her hip. "Ow! Damn it V! That hurts!" She hissed. "I'm gonna break your finger!"

"Just try it Ash." Venus retorted.

"You alright?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, Venus decided she thought it would be funny to poke my hip." Ashlynn mumbled. "Bitch. Fucking hurts."  
Johnny laughed, "I was calling to see if you'd like to come down for dinner tonight."

Ashlynn stopped walking, causing Venus to stop and turn to look at her weird. "What? Tonight? But that's like four and a half, almost five hours from here."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that dinner isn't for another six hours, isn't it?" Johnny chuckled.

"I'm not getting out of this am I?"

"No, you are definitely not getting out of this, my mother has been pestering me to get you down here, and I've finally relented, so you have got to show. You can bring your friends and Luciano." He told her, the smile on his face heard in his voice. "And you can stay here until Race Wars is over."

"Dom is sooooooo not going to like this." Ashlynn muttered.

"Toretto doesn't matter."

"~He's family, he matters.~" Ashlynn told him as she started walking again.

"Not to me he doesn't."

"He used to, you all used to be friends… What happened?"

Johnny was silent for a few moments before he spoke. "I think it was you leaving that did it… You were the glue that held us together Little Lotus, and then when you left we all came unglued and we went our separate ways. And then Toretto slept with my sister and it caused the rift to get bigger."

"I see… I suppose that makes sense." Ashlynn muttered, slapping Venus's hand away before she had a chance to poke Ashlynn's hip again. "Stupid Dom."

"So, will you be here?"

"I really have no choice in this matter, do I?"

"Not really, no."

"Alright, we'll be there. Hopefully in time."

"We look forward to seeing you again, Little Lotus."

"And I look forward to seeing everyone there, Big Hydrangea.. We'll see you then."

"Good. Till then."

"Yup."

And with that the conversation ended and Venus and Ashlynn entered the house.

"What was that about?"

"Johnny wants us all to go down there for dinner and stay with his family until Race Wars is over. It's in like three days, and then we can be home or whatever in like five days." Ashlynn told her as she got a large ice pack out of the freezer for her hip.

"What?" Venus snapped. "We're not going."

"Yes, Venus, we are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, we aren't. We're gonna stay here. You're already having your family up after Race Wars, that's bad enough."

"Yes we are. And just chill, my family is cool, alright? It's my house, I'll invite who I want, thank you." Ashlynn said, sticking her tongue out at Venus.

"What's going on?" Silver asked as she and Luciano walked into the kitchen.

"One of Ashlynn's friends wants us all to go to their house and stay until the end of the Race Wars thing." Venus informed the shorter girl, still staring at Ashlynn.

"Chill out, alright, you'll like them, I'm sure of it." Ashlynn told Venus. "Besides, he offered dinner tonight too. Come on, a night where we don't have to cook food? Or do dishes, you really wanna pass that up?"

Venus looked as though she were having an argument with herself; she didn't mush like having to do dishes, really who does? But that's besides the point.

"Come on Venus, no cooking, no dishes to do, for a whole week almost."

"Fine, we'll go."

"Yay! Thanks Venus."

"Yeah, yeah."

"So, what do you say Silver?" Ashlynn asked, turning to the other girl, wincing at the pain in her hip.

"I have no problem with it." Silver said with a small smile.

"Are you ok Mamma?" Luciano asked, walking up to Ashlynn.

"Yeah, I just got kicked by a horse." She told her son softly. "I should have been more careful. But don't worry about that. How would you like to go down and meet one of Mamma's old friends? And then we'll meet the family."

"Really?" Luciano asked, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Yes, really." Ashlynn said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" He exclaimed jumping up and down.

"Ok, ok, relax." Ashlynn said with a smile. "We'll have to pack some clothes for a couple days, alright?"

"Really?"

"Yup. We're staying with Mamma's friend for a couple days."

"Yay!"

Ashlynn smiled as he ran off to his room excitedly. "I'll be helping him get some clothes together. You guys should get your stuff too, we gotta leave soon." She told Venus and Silver who had begun conversing with each other before she left the room and followed her son to his room.

Ashlynn had just finished helping Luciano get his clothes together when her phone went off on her pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey Baby Girl, not interrupting anything are we?" Dom's voice rang through the phone, she could tell he was grinning.

"No, you're not interrupting anything and get that grin off your face!" She told him as she walked, well, more like limped, to her own room.

"How's your hip?" Mia asked, concern clear in her voice.

"It's going to be fine. I'll just be a gimp for about two weeks until it doesn't hurt too bad and then I'll have to wait for the bruise to totally go away."

"That's good." She heard Vince chime in, he sounded like he wasn't in the same room or something. "You gonna be here for Race Wars, Baby Girl?"

"Ah, yeah, I will," Ashlynn said as she began looking through her closet.

"Something wrong?" Leon asked.

Ashlynn silently cursed herself. "No, nothing is wrong, I'm just looking through my closet for some stuff. No biggie."

"Any reason, you're going through your closet Chica?" Letty asked, disbelief heard in her voice.

"Ah, yeah.. There's a reason."

"You gonna tell us?" Jesse asked curiously.

"I'd prefer not to." Ashlynn told them honestly.

"What's going on Baby Girl?" Dom demanded.

"But Dom," She whined.

"No buts, what's going on?" "An old friend asked me to come down and have dinner at their place and stay there until Race Wars is over." Ashlynn explained, pulling articles of clothing and shoes out of her closet before rummaging through her drawers.

"An old friend?" Dom said suspiciously.

"Yeah, an old friend from down there." Ashlynn confirmed.

"You didn't know very many people down here Baby Girl." Vince informed her, sounding closer.

"Like I didn't know that. Thanks for reminding me Vince." Ashlynn said softly. "And since I didn't know very many people, it'll make it a short list of people for you to look into, won't it?"

"Baby Girl, I didn't mean it like that." Vince said.

"I know you didn't mean it like that, and I'm just saying that you won't have to go through a long list of people." She replied as she pulled out a duffle bag and put everything in it and grabbing another one for toiletries. "And when you finally figure out who it is, don't bother getting angry or try to talk me out of it. It won't change my mind, got it?"

"Who is it Baby Girl?" Dom asked, sounding tense.

"You'll figure it out, but don't try and talk me out of it."

"We got it." Letty cut in, most likely cutting Dom off, Ashlynn figured.

"Thank you, I have to go. I've got like five hours until dinner and we have to be there early." Ashlynn told them.

"Alright, we'll see you later," She heard Jesse say and she smiled.

"Yes you will. Till then."

There was a chorus of goodbyes before the line went dead and she hung up. Sighing softly, she knew this was not going to end well; Dom and Vince would figure out who it was and would undoubtedly call back and yell. And by then, she'd already be on the road, hopefully. Quickly, Ashlynn stuffed her phone charger in with her clothes and zipped both bags shut and walked into the living room with them, where she saw Venus and Silver waiting with Luciano.

"Are we all ready then?" She asked, pulling on a pair of black and teal flats.

"Yup."

"Yes.

"Ready!"

Ashlynn smiled and walked out to the garage, the others following behind her. "Which cars are we taking?"

"I'm taking the Honda." Venus said, walking towards her customized Acura rsx Type S; it was all black with a purple-silver dragon design, two dragons started on the hood twisting and turning as they snaked down either side of the car their tails ending on the trunk, the seats were black and purple leather and there were interior neon purple LED lights that matched the LED lights on the bottom of the car.

"I'm gonna take my Mustang." Silver said as she walked over to her 2001 Mustang. It was silver with black and grey/silver seats, a large black Deathbat design to support her favorite band; the skull was on the hood, a wing on either door and there was a blue smoke design that trailed from the ends of the wings to the trunk, and had modified scissor doors.

"Alright, and we'll take my Mustang." Ashlynn said as she grabbed Luciano's booster seat from beside the door and walking over to her 1965 Mustang, her son following behind her. It was painted in pink and purple stripes, on the hood there was a Cheshire grin and on the trunk there were the words "We’re All Mad Here" written in a fancy bubbly script. The seats were black leather with pinstriped purple and pink, looking as though it had been stitched together.

Placing Luciano's booster seat in the back, Ashlynn made sure he was buckled before putting their things in the trunk, grabbing a couple drinks from the garage fridge, and getting in herself. Buckling up and starting her car, Ashlynn opened the garage doors and pulled out, Silver and Venus following her, the doors closing behind them as they drove off.

"Here we go." Ashlynn muttered to herself.

"Yay!" Luciano exclaimed, still excited at the prospect of seeing family.

Ashlynn smiled as she drove through town to the freeway, her and the girls gathering attention from people on the street because of their cars as they drove passed. Getting on the freeway, Ashlynn wasn't surprised when her phone rang. Looking at the caller id, Ashlynn sighed with relief that it was only Johnny.

"Hello?" She answered, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello," Johnny's voice rang through.

"Can I help you with something?"

"My mother is pestering me with questions as to when you will arrive."

"Well, we just got on the freeway, we'll be there in a few hours."

"I'll let her know then, maybe she'll relax."

Ashlynn laughed. "Alright then, I'll see you then."

"Till you arrive Little Lotus."

"Bye Big Hydrangea."

The line went dead and Ashlynn hung up.

"Mamma, who was that?"

"That was my friend that you're going to meet. We're going to stay with his family."

"Oh."

Ashlynn smiled as she passed a few cars, watching as Silver and Venus raced each other through traffic. About an hour passed in this manner when Luciano spoke again.

"Mamma, I'm thirsty." He said.

"Alright." Grabbing one of the bottles of water, she used her knee to keep the wheel straight and opened it enough to where Luciano could get it open without trouble before handing him the bottle and grabbing ahold of the wheel again.

"Grazie."

"Prego."

Another half hour passed before Ashlynn's phone went off again and she answered it without bothering to look at the caller id.

"Watch what you say, my son is in the car." She told the caller as she put the phone on speaker again.

"Baby Girl, you're not going." Dom's voice came through.

"Yes I am. I'm already about halfway there. I'm not turning around." Ashlynn told him. "Put your headphones in Luciano, ora!"

Quickly, Luciano put in the headphones to his handheld video game and turned the volume up so he couldn't hear what was being said.

"Accidenti Bambina, non si può andare lì!" Dom yelled.

"Sì, posso Dominic e sono io." Ashlynn replied.

"Potrebbero farti del male!" Vince snapped.

"Loro non." Ashlynn tried to tell them.

"They won't listen Chica, I kept them from calling for as long as I could." Letty told her.

"Accidenti Dominic! Non mi faranno male!" Ashlynn snapped. "I'm going and that's final!" With that, she hung up and threw her phone in the passenger seat.

"Mamma?"

"Sì?"

"Stai bene?"

"Io sto bene."

The rest of the drive was made in relative silence, Ashlynn ignored her phone whenever it vibrated in the seat next to her and soon the came to the exit they needed and Ashlynn watched as Silver and Venus followed after her down the off ramp. Soon, the three cars were surrounded by motorcycles and Ashlynn rolled her eyes, though there was a smile on her face as she followed the motorcycle in front of her. They were led to an expensive looking neighborhood and up to an equally expensive looking house when they stopped.

"Time to get out little man." Ashlynn told Luciano as she shut the car off and unbuckled herself. Luciano followed after her, unbuckling himself and then climbing over the front seat to get out. Ashlynn found Silver and Venus standing next to her as she locked and shut her door as the motorcycles around them either drove off or were shut off. Luciano hid slightly behind Ashlynn's right leg as she stretched her left one.

"Ash?" Venus spoke.

"Yeah Venus?"

"You never told me your friend was hot."

Looking in the direction Venus was, Ashlynn smiled when she noticed Venus had caught sight of Johnny as he took his helmet off.

"I told you that you'd like him, I figured that was enough of a clue." Ashlynn told her with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> accidenti bambina, non si può andare lì - Damn it Baby Girl, you can't go there!  
> Sì, posso Dominic e sono io - Yes, I can Dominic and I am.  
> potrebbero farti del male - they could hurt you  
> loro non - they will not  
> accidenti Dominic - Damn it Dominic  
> non mi faranno male - they will not hurt me  
> Stai bene - are you alright  
> lo sto bene - I am alright


	7. Catching Up with Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I stated before, there is going to be a liberal use of languages that I have never learned, either with the use of Google translate or by use of special characters to indicate that the characters are in fact speaking a different language. If any of the translations are incorrect, comment or message me, whatever to let me know so I can attempt to fix it! There will be translations at the end of the chapters. Unless I forget to delete them from wherever they're sprinkled throughout the chapters.

Smiling to herself, Ashlynn walked up to Johnny and hugged him. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again, too, Little Lotus." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "You never said your friends were pretty."

Glancing up at him and then over to where her friends stood conversing informed her that he was looking at Venus specifically, who was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, low pro Vans, and purple tank top with a black jacket over it, her hair was pulled back away from her face in a half up-half down style, while Silver was wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans, Vans that seemed to swallow her feet, and black t-shirt with her jacket wrapped around her hips. Their bags sitting at their feet.

"Yeah, well, you only have a chance with one of them; so don't screw it up." Ashlynn told him.

"Me, screw something up?" Johnny asked in mock incredulity. "I would never do that."

"Yeah, uh huh, I've heard that one before."

Johnny laughed, "Come on, let me get your stuff Little Lotus. We'll get you all situated before dinner, hopefully."

"Alright." Ashlynn said with a smile and walked back over to her car where Luciano was hiding behind Venus and Silver. As she opened her trunk, she didn't have a chance to grab her bags before they were pulled from the trunk by Johnny. "I could have gotten it, thank you very much."

"I know, but it wouldn't be polite to make a lady carry her things." Johnny said with a smile. "And besides, I'd never hear the end of it from my mother if I didn't do it."

"Idiot," Ashlynn snorted as she followed after Johnny, who took Venus's and Silver's two bags each as well; both girls looking over to Ashlynn curiously and angrily. "Just let him do it. He's just being polite." She told them as she took Luciano's hand and walked off to the front door where Johnny was standing.

Quietly, Johnny led them into the house and Ashlynn could hear the woman in the kitchen conversing and the men were in the den also conversing. Quickly, Johnny ushered them up the stairs and to three rooms that had been prepared for them earlier that day.

"These are the rooms that have been prepared for you to choose from, they each have their own bathrooms so you don't all have to share." Johnny said, handing each of them their bags. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes; so go ahead and choose who goes where and relax or freshen up for dinner."

Ashlynn nodded and hugged Johnny once more, murmuring softy in Vietnamese, "~Thank you Johnny.~"

"~Of course Little One.~" He said softly, hugging her back before bowing shallowly to all of them and returning downstairs.

"Hey V, you know that you're supposed to take your shoes off at the front door, right?" Ashlynn said, having glanced down and noticed that her temperamental friend had neglected to remove her shoes.

"Since when?" Venus asked incredulously.

"Since you stepped into the home of an Asian family, it's polite."

"Are you trying to say that I'm not polite Ash?"

"No, I'm saying that you didn't take your shoes off."

"Well someone should have said something!"

"It common knowledge! You watch anime just as much as Silver and I do, did you just never notice that they always take there shoes off at the door? Didn't you notice that we paused by the door?"

"Apparently it's not common knowledge, 'cause I didn't know!" Venus snapped before turning and entering one of the bedrooms.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "Over react much?" She muttered before nodding to Silver, who had rolled her eyes at her friends' antics as she smiled with amusement, before turning and leading Luciano into one of the other two rooms, leaving the last one from Silver. Some things will never change, she thought before walking into the last room, a smile on her face.

"Mamma?"

"Sì?"

"I'm hungry."

Ashlynn smiled. "Don't worry, we'll be eating soon. Why don't you go in and go to the bathroom, it was a long drive."

Luciano nodded and walked off to the bathroom, leaving the door cracked in case he needed his mother's help. Ashlynn sighed softly to herself, this was going to be a long couple of days. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she grumbled to herself before pulling it out of her pocket. It was the phone she'd given Jesse.

"Hello?" She answered hesitantly.

"Wasn't sure if you were gonna answer." Jesse's voice came from the other end.

"I almost didn't."

"Understandable, seeing as Vince and Dom freaked out on you."

"Yeah, not very fun."

"Are you alright though?"

"Mamma." Luciano spoke up from behind the half closed bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm good, hold on, Luciano needs my help." Ashlynn said as she stood and entered the bathroom. "Che cos’e, Luciano?"

"Non posso raggiungere il lavandino."

Ashlynn nodded, looking around the bathroom, spotting a stool tucked away and grabbed it for Luciano. "Là andrai."

"Grazie Mamma."

Ashlynn smiled at him as she watched him wash his hands.

"Everything alright?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, Luciano couldn't reach the sink, so I found a stool for him so he could wash up for dinner." She replied.

"Ah, so you're there then?"

"Yeah, you're not gonna freak out too, are you?"

Jesse laughed softly. "Nah, if you say they aren't going to hurt you, I trust you."

"Thank God someone does. It's like Dom and Vince don't remember ever actually being on speaking terms with Johnny. We all used to be friends." Ashlynn told him exasperatedly.

"With the way they act, I never would have thought that."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say, people change."

"That's true."

"Yeah, anyways, I should probably get going, dinner will be ready soon."

"Alright, I'll see you soon."

Ashlynn smiled, "Yeah, I'll make a point of being at Race Wars."

"That would be kick ass."

She laughed. "I'm sure it will be, so I'll see you then."

"See you then."

"Bye Jess, love you."

"Love you too Ash."

She smiled, but soon winced as she heard Dom's voice before she hung up. He was yelling at Jesse for talking to her without telling Dom. She sighed, someone really needed to smack some common sense into Dom.

"Mamma?"

"Yes?"

"Is dinner ready now?"

Ashlynn laughed. "I'm sure it is. Let me wash up."

"Alright."

Smiling to herself, Ashlynn washed her hands and pulled her hair away from her face, pulling it into a low ponytail before straightening her black and teal checkered flannel button up, that she wore over a solid black tank top, and rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. There was a knock on her bedroom door as she pulled her pants up a bit more before straightening her shirts out again. Quickly, she walked to the door and smiled when she saw Johnny on the other side.

"I'm to collect you all for dinner." He told her with a smile.

"Alright." She said before turning back to Luciano. "Luciano, dinner is ready now."

"Yay!" Cried the little boy as he ran over and attached himself to his mother's hip, causing her to wince slightly, but he was too excited to notice.

"Luciano, this is Johnny Tran. I forgot to introduce you earlier. Johnny, this is my son Luciano." Ashlynn said with a smile as stepped from her room, closing the door behind her.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Tran." Luciano said politely, kind of hiding behind Ashlynn as he got shy.

Johnny smiled. "Nice to meet you too little man. You can just call me Johnny."

"Better get Venus and Silver." Ashlynn said, heading towards Silver's door. "Silver?" She called as she knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Silver asked as she opened the door a few moments later.

"Dinner is ready."

"Alright." The shorter girl said with a smile as she joined them in the hall.

Ashlynn turned towards Venus' door, where Johnny and Venus stood, the latter blushing lightly as she stepped out of the room, brushing against Johnny. Ashlynn grinned, nudging Venus as they followed Johnny downstairs into the large dining room. Venus pinched Ashlynn's arm before they stepped through the doorway and became the center of attention.  
The curly haired girl waved with a small, nervous smile on her face as she looked at the people she hadn't seen since she was twelve years old. "~Hello.~" She said softly, bowing shallowly. Soon after, she found herself engulfed in multiple hugs as the women all crowded around her.

"~It has been a very long time.~" Johnny's mother said as she let go of the younger girl.

"~Yes, I know. And I am so sorry that I never got to explain what happened.~" Ashlynn said, a sad smile tugging at her lips.

"~Well, sit, sit down and we will catch up.~"

Ashlynn smiled and nodded, sitting in one of the empty chairs, pulling Luciano up into her lap. Venus sat to her left and Silver on her right, Johnny took the empty seat next to Venus, which caused the girl to blush lightly. Soon everyone else was seated and dinner being served. Luciano had trouble with his chopsticks and Ashlynn smiled when he pouted and helped him feed himself between bites of her own food.

"~So, Little Lotus, what happened? It was like you dropped off the face of the earth.~" Johnny's father asked about halfway through dinner.

"~Well, my father was offered a higher paying job in the company and my mother wanted more than what we had. She wanted the high society life, to be one of the social elite. And she wanted it so bad that she pestered my father until he finally accepted the offer. We had a week to be packed up and moved into the new house for my father to begin at the new office.~" Ashlynn began, still feeding Luciano. "~So for that week, I was not allowed to go to school, I am pretty sure my mother told them I was not going to be there again, I was not allowed to see any of my friends, I was only allowed to help pack. Which I really, really did not want to do. And then two days before my father was to be in the office, we had finished packing and I was told I was only going to be allowed to say goodbye to my cousins and our friends, seeing as they were always together. I had asked if we could come by here so I could say goodbye, but my mother said it would be wasting time and then we were gone.~"

"~I never did like your mother.~" Johnny muttered.

"~Me neither.~" Venus piped up, surprising everyone.

Ashlynn just smiled as she fed Luciano and continued with her story. "~So, we moved into the new house, I was enrolled in school, one of those kindergarten through twelfth grade schools for the children of the socially elite, it was very annoying.~"

"~Damn straight.~" Silver muttered as she ate.

Ashlynn and Venus snorted before the former continued. "~I stopped wearing the clothes my mother wanted me to wear and, outside of the school uniform, I started wearing all black, lots of jewelry, dark make up, boots, I still do usually, sort of am now, and I avoided most people at school. Which attracted the attention of these two.~" She gestured to Venus and Silver. "~Venus and Silver. My best friends in a school full of stuck up brats. And then it was about eight years ago now, I met a boy. He was nothing like the rest of the stuck up people we attended school with. He was very nice, polite, charming, he was a great friend, and eventually, we started dating. I was fourteen and a half when we got together, as our relationship progressed, he became even nicer, more polite, he seemed perfect, I began to think that maybe he was The One for me, but no.~" Ashlynn paused, looking down at the boy in her lap and kissed the top of his head. "~I was fifteen years, four months, and one week old when I got knocked up, I was sixteen years and one month when I had my beautiful baby boy, and despite the fact that I was a teenage mother and my own mother wanted me to give the baby up for adoption, I was happy. My father, though a little sad that I was only sixteen, was happy for me and accepted my decision to keep my baby. Three months later, the father ran out on us and ignored my existence, even when we were paired up in classes at school. He made it look easy, ignoring me, so eventually, I just ignored him and I was fine. Until my parents died.~"

"~That must have been very hard on you.~" Johnny's mother said softly.

"~How long ago was it?~" Johnny's sister asked, gaining disapproving looks from the rest of the present family.

"~It is alright, no harm in asking.~" Ashlynn reassured before looking at the younger Vietnamese girl. "~It was about a year ago now.~"

She was given various looks from the family, ranging from pity to understanding and she just shrugged.

"~It was hard, I admit, sometimes it still hurts. Sometimes I think it is a dream and when I wake up Papa will be there reading the morning paper and mother will be making snippy comments about what I choose to wear, but eventually, reality sinks in and I have to accept it.~" She said softly. "~But, all that matters now is that I am reacquainting with the rest of my family and old friends.~"

"~And you are always welcome here, Little One.~" Johnny's mother said with a kind smile.

"~Thank you.~" Ashlynn said with a smile of her own.

"~Maybe now that you're back in their lives, you can help your cousin and them with their debt.~" Johnny's father said casually.

"~Debt?~" Ashlynn glanced at Johnny and then his father. "~What debt?~"

"While your cousin was in Lompoc, he needed someone to the garage and shop from closing." Johnny said softly as he turned to look at her. "So we took care of it and now he's paying us back."

"How much?" She asked, her face blank as her grip tightened on her chopsticks.

"A lot."

Growling softly, Ashlynn ignored Silver's hand on her shoulder and turned her sharp eyes back to Johnny's father. "~How much debt~?"

"~A couple hundred thousand.~" The older man replied.

Turning her attention back to Johnny, Ashlynn frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Dom didn't want anyone to know. I don't think he's told the team the real reason behind it." He told her softly.

"And how are they paying you back?" Ashlynn asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

"They're hijacking semis."

"That's why they're doing it? Because they owe you money?" She nearly screeched before putting her chopsticks down and covering her son's ears as she started ranting irately in Italian, causing Silver and Venus to pale.

"What's she saying?" Johnny whispered to Venus.

"You don't want to know. Trust me." Venus whispered back, glancing from Ashlynn to Johnny. "Just know she's threatening you."

"Threatening me how?"

"Trust me, that's what you don't want to know. She's only ever reserved that threat for one other person."

"And who's that?"

"The munchkin's father."

Johnny looked surprised as he stared at the short haired girl. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. When he walked out on them, she was fine for a couple of weeks, but you know how it is when you bottle everything up. She was trying to be strong for the little squirt and not let her parents know she was hurting and then one day after school…" Venus trailed off, looking at the still ranting Ashlynn.

"She just blew up out of nowhere?" He asked, watching as his old friend finished ranting and took deep, calming breaths.

"Yes," Venus said, turning to grin at Johnny. "I laughed so hard."

"You're not laughing now." He pointed out, looking her in the eye.

She averted her gaze and a light blush coated her pale cheeks. "That's 'cause-"

"She likes you." Ashlynn cut her off.

Venus blushed more, turning to glare darkly at Ashlynn. "Ti ucciderò nel sonno." She growled.

"No you won't. You love me too much V." Ashlynn grinned before glaring at Johnny. "We're talking about this after dinner."

Johnny nodded, "Alright."

"~So, other than that, how has it been since I last saw everyone~?" Ashlynn asked, glancing around the table as she resumed eating, even while continuing to help Luciano.

And with that, the mood lightened and Ashlynn listened intently to what everyone had to say about what had happened in the years that she had been gone. She knew that Venus probably didn't care at all and Silver was probably only half listening, but she was happy. When dinner came to an end more than an hour later, Ashlynn offered to help with the dishes, but was shooed out of the kitchen. Laughing to herself, she shook her head before turning to Silver and Venus who both look out of place, no doubt feeling out of place.

"You guys alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, just a little awkward." Silver replied softly, looking up from her phone briefly.

"Yeah, I mean, we don't know these people like you do Ash." Venus said, crossing her arms.

"I know, but they're really great, and I just know that you guys will love them the more you're around them." Ashlynn said as she picked Luciano up.

"Except that most of them speak nothing but Vietnamese, which isn't a problem because we can speak it, but still." Venus said with a frown.

"I know, but they're a traditional family, isn't that right Johnny?" Ashlynn said, smiling at Venus as she turned red.

"Just a bit traditional." He said with a smile, standing off to Venus' left as he stepped into the hall with them. "But don't worry, makes having conversations you don't want overheard easier."

"That's true." Venus muttered, still embarrassed.

Johnny smiled again and casually wrapped an arm around the short girl's shoulders. "Don't worry, if you feel that bad about it, you can make it up to me by going on a date with me tomorrow."

"She'd love to!" Ashlynn cut in before Venus could say anything, earning a glare from said girl. "But first, you and I are discussing this debt my cousin has."

"Of course, we'll go to the study." Johnny said, leading the way, his arm still wrapped around Venus' shoulders.

Ashlynn smiled, looking at Silver, who was still engrossed in something on her phone and rolled her eyes. "You can go back to your bedroom S, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

Silver looked up at Ashlynn and smiled softly. "Alright Ashlynn, I shall see you later my friend."

Ashlynn shook her head with a smile as she limped after Johnny and Venus to the study. "So," She began, sitting in one of the plush chairs. "How much does my cousin owe you."

"With or without the payments he's already made?" Johnny asked, removing his arm from Venus' shoulders to go through a filing cabinet.

"Total, without the payments he's already made." Ashlynn said, shifting Luciano so he could sit comfortably.

"Roughly about five hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars." Johnny said as he looked over the paperwork he pulled out of one of the files.

"How many trucks have they hijacked so far?" She asked.

"Three."

"How much does that take off the debt?"

"It was roughly fifty thousand dollars worth of product in each truck, so that's one hundred and fifty thousand. That makes it three hundred and eighty-two thousand."

"So, going on the fact that it's about fifty thousand dollars worth of product per truck, they'd have to hijack eight more trucks in order to totally square this debt with you."

"That's right." He said as he nodded. "Any money over the amount of the debt would be given to Dominic."

"And what if something happens to them Johnny?" Ashlynn snapped. "What if something happens to my family, huh? To Dom, or Letty? Vince? Or Leon and Jesse? Where would that leave Mia?"

"Dominic wanted the quickest way, and this was it. I didn't tell him to choose it." Johnny said as he looked at Ashlynn.

Ashlynn growled to herself. "I'll pay it."

"You know that Dominic won't like that." Johnny said. "We both know it will piss him off."

"Yeah, well, Dominic is going to be getting an earful from me later. Of all the crazy, stupid shit he's ever done, this has got to be the worst." Looking down at Luciano. "I don't ever want to hear you say that word, got me?"

"Sì Mamma." He said, nodding.

"Good." Looking back at Johnny, who was attempting to discreetly check Venus out, she rolled her eyes. "When's the next heist?"

"After or during Race Wars as far as I know." He informed her, looking down at the paperwork once again, flipping a page here and there as he looked it over. "Next payment is scheduled for late next week."

"And the team doesn't know the real reason behind the heists?"

"They just know that the shop and garage are in trouble and this is how they're getting the money to keep it open."

Growling softly, Ashlynn sighed. "Alright, I'll have all of it for you by that same day, you tell my cousin that he and the team don't have to do anymore heists. Before Race Wars, Johnny."

"Alright Little Lotus, I'll tell him, but when he jumps on my case, I'm totally throwing you under the bus." He said, holding his hands up in a show of surrender.

"I wouldn't expect any less, no one likes dealing with Dom when he's pissed." Ashlynn said with a frown. "I'm going to bed now. After I convince your mother to give me an ice pack."

"For what?" Johnny asked as Venus snorted.

"The bruise on my hip." Ashlynn said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"She got kicked by the horse earlier today, remember? She told you when you called her."

"Oh, yeah." He said sheepishly. "How is that doing by the way?"

Ashlynn had Luciano stand up before she slowly stood up and stretched her sore hip. "Pretty bad."

"Just show him." Venus piped up, a grin on her face.

"You're so enjoying this." Ashlynn hissed.

"Yes. Yes I am." Venus said, her grin widening.

"How bad is it?" Johnny asked, looking seriously worried.

Sighing softly, Ashlynn turned her left hip to face Johnny, sliding the waistband down so he could see the top inch or so of it. "That's just the top."

"Damn, you don't do anything halfway, do you?" Johnny asked as he winced.

Ashlynn and Venus snorted. "Nope."

"And now I'm going." She said, leading Luciano out of the room.

"So, how about that date?" She heard Johnny ask as she closed the door and walked off to the kitchen where she asked for an ice pack before bidding everyone a good night.

Entering the bedroom, Ashlynn stretched and pulled out night clothes for Luciano, telling him to change in the bathroom before pulling out her own pajama pants and tank top and changing quickly while her son changed in the bathroom. Grabbing her phone, she sat on the edge of the bed, ice pack against her hip, and checked her phone for missed texts and calls, seeing as she left it in the bedroom during dinner. There were a few voicemails from Dom's house and a few texts from Jesse, though, she was sure they weren't all from the boy. Yawning, she looked up as Luciano walked out of the bathroom and tucked him into bed before going into the bathroom to take care of her business; going to the bathroom, brushing her teeth, washing her face, etc. before climbing into bed next to her son. Before she fell asleep, she sent a series of texts to Jesse.

'You can tell them to stop worrying. I'm still alive, I've been well fed, and now I'm going to sleep.’

‘Which I will wake up from in the morning.’

‘And I will maybe call them in the morning, if I feel like it.’

‘I may or may not stop by the garage tomorrow and I will text you tomorrow sometime.’

‘Good night, love you.'

She laid there on her side for a few minutes, shaking from the cold chill the ice pack sent through her bones when she got a text back.

'Alright, I'll let them know. Sleep well and I look forward to hearing from you. Love you too, night.'

And with that, Ashlynn fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Back downstairs in the study, Venus looked at the man before her, contemplating. "I don't know."

"Lunch date, go out for a couple hours, be back by dinner time. Promise." He told her, a charming smile on his face.

"Hmmm…" She stared at him for a few moments before nodding, a small smile and a light blush on her face. "Alright."

Johnny's smile widen. "Alright, we'll leave at eleven thirty, noon?"

"Sounds good," She said as she walked to the door of the study. Turning back to look at him, she smirked. "But we're taking my car." And with that she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Che cos’e - what is it?  
> Non posso raggiungere il lavandino - I can not reach the sink  
> Là andrai - there you go  
> Ti ucciderò nel sonno - I will kill you in your sleep


	8. Lunch Date

Morning came and with it, Venus came barreling into Ashlynn's room, scaring the slightly taller girl and her son awake.

"Dear God V!" Ashlynn yelled. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Venus ignored what Ashlynn said and grabbed the girl by the shoulders. "I don't know what to wear, what do I say? I'm going to make a total idiot out of myself! I don't date for this reason, I make a fool out of myself! What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, first…" Ashlynn trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Get off of me!" She snapped at the shorter girl.

"Yeesh, alright, all you had to do was ask." Venus mumbled as she stood up and crossed her arms.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes as she slowly stood, wincing at the tightness in her hip as she did so. "Alright, so, why couldn't you go and coordinate with S?"

"She tried to help me, but she doesn't know him, you do, you know what he likes." Venus told her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I haven’t been around the guy since I was like twelve, remember?" Ashlynn reminded the other woman as she watched Luciano walk into the bathroom. “Just be yourself, V.”

"Be myself? Ash, that's like date suicide! I'll probably say something and insult him and then he won't want to talk, or hell, even look at me again." Venus ranted, waving her arms around emphatically.

"Why does it matter V, he's just a guy, right?" Ashlynn asked, raising an eyebrow.

The other woman froze and looked thoughtful for a moment or two. "I don't know… I just, I like him… He doesn't seem like the assholes from back home."

"That's because he's not." Ashlynn told her as Luciano walked out of the bathroom rubbing one of his eyes. "Luciano, bambino, find your swim trunks. We're going to the beach today." She told him before turning back to Venus. "Let's find you something to wear."

And with that, the two were in Venus' room and Ashlynn was going through the shorter girl's clothes. Ashlynn was mumbling to herself as Venus sat on the bed watching the curly haired girl searching for an outfit.

"Let's see… No, no… Nope… Ah, definitely not… Hell no…" Ashlynn continued mumbling. "Ah ha! Here!" She cried, waving a pair of white skinny jeans at Venus. "Now to find something to wear them with." Resuming her digging, Ashlynn began mumbling to herself again for a few minutes. "Perfect!" She exclaimed before standing up and holding a teal, knit wrap sweater cocktail dress. "There you are. You're outfit is nearly complete. Just have to find shoes." Glancing down at the ground, she scanned it for shoes before finding what she was looking for; three inch, black stilettos. "Outfit complete." She said as she grabbed the stilettos and handed them to Venus. "Now, I'm pretty sure you can manage everything else, yes?"

"Yeah, yeah. I've got it. Thanks Ash!" V called as she flounced off to the bathroom.

Ashlynn rolled her eyes and went back into her room to find Luciano in his swim trucks with a white wife beater tank top on and smiled.

"When are we going to the beach Mamma?"

"Soon as I get changed and gather everything."

"Alright."

Ashlynn smiled as she grabbed her bikini and a pair of shorts and a tank top before walking into the bathroom and changing quickly. She pulled her hair back and brushed her teeth before walking back into the bedroom where Luciano was holding her phone.

"Bambino?"

"It kept buzzing, but I didn't answer it."

"That's alright, let me see."

Luciano handed the phone to his mother and she smiled and kissed his forehead causing him to groan. "Mamma!"

"Luciano!" She mimicked as she looked at her phone. 'One missed call from Dominic'. Dear Lord, her cousin was an impatient man. Sighing to herself, she dialed his number and began searching through her bag for sunscreen and her large beach towels.

"Ashlynn."

"Dominic."

"Thank God you're ok."

"Yeah, hello to you too, Dom. Of course I'm fine. Johnny's family still likes me, I'm not the one who was stupid enough to sleep with his sister."

"One mistake and no one ever lets me live it down."

"Course not. So," She paused as she found the towels and pulled them out of the bag. "Is there a reason for you calling me at ten thirty in the morning? Shouldn't you be at the garage?"

"We're all heading out to the garage. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive."

Ashlynn scoffed. "Just because you can't seem to remember what a great guy Johnny is, doesn't mean he's not still that person. You'd know that if you'd made an effort to stay friends with him after I was forced to move."

"He could have made an effort too." Dom shot back.

"Yeah, yeah he could have." Ashlynn said as she found the two bottles of sunscreen. "But at least he made sure the garage and shop didn't go out of business while you were in Lompoc, yeah?"

"How do you know about that!" Dom hissed and Ashlynn was sure he was rubbing his head, glancing around to make sure none of the rest of the team was around.

"Well, Johnny's father told me. You know, 'cause you sure as hell didn't." She said, turning to place the towels and sunscreen on her bed.

"No one actually knows about that."

"Yeah, I gathered as much. So, you can image how upset I became when I was informed how you were paying back that huge debt. I mean, I figured you had a really, really good reason, but this is more than I thought." She said as she slipped her flip flops on, motioning for Luciano to do the same. "I flipped out on Johnny, only to have him inform me that because you didn't want to have to pay for a very long amount of time, you chose to pay it off the way you are."

"It's the best way there is Ash."

"You sure about that Dom? Are you absolutely sure you thought this one through? 'Cause, I don't think you did!"

"Of course I thought it through!" Dom yelled.

"Yeah? You did, huh?"

"Yes, I did."

"So, if you, I dunno, got hurt, hospitalized, or even better, killed doing this, you thought about what would happen to Mia, Letty, and the rest of the team? I mean, you were in Lompoc two years, and well, I have to say, that's quite a debt you have, what happens if you die Dom? They lose the shop? The Garage? How are they supposed to get by? How are they supposed to pay off the debt Dom? It'll keep piling up because for every payment they make, another one or even two would be added onto it! Or what if Letty gets hurt, or Vince, or Jesse, or Leon? What then?" She snapped.

"Nothing, 'cause nothing's going to happen!" Dom growled back.

"Right, because you're Dominic Toretto, and if you say it isn't going to happen, it isn't going to happen, yeah?"

"Nothing's going to happen because we're being careful."

"What if the truck drivers fight back Dom?"

"Then we'll take care of it."

"Why didn't you tell me Dom? I would have helped."

"I have it handled."

"Alright, whatever Dom. I have to go, I'm taking Luciano out. I might stop by later." She said, hanging up before he could say anything else before turning to Luciano. "So, how about we go see how Auntie V is doing? See if Auntie S wants to go?"

"Okay!" The little boy exclaimed, never having been to the beach before, he was quite excited.

"Alright." With that, she led Luciano to Venus' room and knocked on the door. "Venus?"

"Yes Ash?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Quickly, Ashlynn and Luciano slipped into the room, the former noticing how much more of a mess it was from the twenty minutes before when she'd been in the room.

"Uh, V?"

"What Ash?" Venus asked distractedly, pushing her curled hair out of her face as she searched around for something.

"Why does it look like a mini tornado was loose in your room?"

"I can't find my car keys?"

"Why do you need to take your keys?"

"'Cause, I told Johnny I'd go out with him for lunch, but only if we took my car."

"I see."

"Did you check your jacket?"

"Yes, Ash." Was Venus' exasperated reply.

"How about the pocket of your jeans from last night?"

"Checked, they're not there."

Ashlynn snorted and rolled her eyes when she saw the aforementioned keys sitting on the nightstand and walked over to the small bed side table. "How about the nightstand?" She asked as she picked up said keys.

Venus looked up and facepalmed. "I'm so blind."

"It's alright V. Don't be too hard on yourself." Ashlynn said, patting the shorter girl's shoulder as she handed over the keys. "Oh, and don't kill Johnny, please."

"I'm not gonna kill him!" Venus exclaimed. "My driving isn't that bad."

"But you admit that you can be pretty bad." Ashlynn teased.

"Oh, shut up." Venus said as she turned to look in the mirror. "I look alright, don't I? Not too much? What about my scars?"

"You look fine, stop worrying. You can't really see the scars, just take a deep breath and relax." Ashlynn said with a smile. "So, now I'm going to see if Silver would like to come with me and Luciano to the beach. Don't make me come back up here and drag you downstairs."

Venus stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes at Ashlynn as she and Luciano left to room. Going across the hall, Ashlynn knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Came Silver's voice.

"Hey S, it's Ash, Luc and I were wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with us?"

"Not right now, but maybe later." Silver called through the door.

"Alright." Ashlynn called back before going into her room and grabbing her phone, wallet, jacket and a pair of sweatpants, as well as a change of clothes for Luciano. Grabbing her large purse, she stuck everything but her phone in it and then placed the towel and sunscreen on top. Grabbing her keys, she and Luciano made they way downstairs and nearly walked into Johnny. "Well hello there. Waiting for Venus?"

Johnny smiled. "Yes, I am. Is she ready?"

"She's ready," She said with a grin, turning back towards the stairs, speaking louder. "She's just trying to get the balls to actually walk down here."

"I HEARD THAT!" Came Venus' voice.

Johnny laughed softly. "I see. So, where are you off to?"

"Luc and I are going to the beach, he's never been."

"Ah, well, you're in for a real treat." Johnny said, smiling down at Luciano before turning his attention to Ashlynn. "Will you be stopping by Toretto's?"

"Maybe." She muttered bitterly.

"Uh oh, I'm sensing some hostility."

"Dom called, wanted to make sure you hadn't killed me."

"Ah, yeah, he doesn't trust me much."

"No, no he doesn't." Ashlynn agreed. "Anyways, I do believe your date just arrived."

Johnny turned to where Ashlynn was looking and found Venus shifting from one foot to the other nervously in the outfit Ashlynn had picked out for her. He couldn't help but wonder what the outfit would look like if she were just in the short dress and stilettos.

"Well, my job here is done and we're off. See you guys later." She called as she led Luciano out, bidding Johnny's family farewell until later, leaving Johnny and Venus to themselves.

"So, off we go, yes?" Venus asked nervously.

"Yes, off we go, ladies first." Johnny said, walking to the door and holding it open for her, causing her to blush lightly.

Venus led him out to her Honda and slid in carefully, aware that she could probably kill herself in the stilettos Ashlynn had picked for her. Adjusting the seat so that she could comfortably reach the pedals, Venus smiled as Johnny got in as she buckled herself in before starting the engine.

"So, where are we off to?" She asked, shoving her purse and light jacket into the backseat.

"I'll direct as you drive." He told her as he relaxed into the seat.

"Alright, but you might want to buckle up." She said as she revved the engine with a wide grin. "Ashlynn would hate me if I killed you."

Johnny looked at her, slightly afraid as he buckled himself in. "Am I going to regret getting in this car with you?"

"I hope not." Venus said with a grin as she took off down the driveway.

Twenty minutes later, they were speeding down one of the main streets, Venus was weaving in and out of traffic, yelling at people when they moved too slow for her liking or got in her way. As she turned right, per Johnny's directions, she groaned when she saw police lights flashing behind her as sirens sounded.

"Damn." She muttered, glancing around, searching for places to get away and hide from the police car behind her.

"Just pull over, I'll take care of it." Johnny told her.

"But that's no fun." Venus grinned as she floored the gas petal and began weaving in and out of traffic. Johnny held tightly to the door handle as he felt himself thrown back into the seat.

It took her fifteen minutes to lose the cop and she glanced over at Johnny who was muttering about never getting into a car while she's driving ever again.

"You're such a baby," Venus muttered as she looked over at him. "You race cars, but you can't handle my driving."

"Eyes on the road, please."

"Fine, fine, so, where am I going from here? Wherever here is."

"Just take a left at the next light."

"Alright." And with that, they were off to the restaurant, which they arrived at twenty-five minutes later and Venus squealed to a stop in the parking stall and cut the engine.

Johnny hurriedly got out of the car and Venus slowly followed after him, grabbing her purse and locking the car, noticing that said restaurant was Chili's; her favorite. Walking around the car, she and Johnny walked into the restaurant side by side, where he held to door open for her. Upon entering, they waited a few moments before they were seated by the hostess and given menus.

"Order anything you want." Johnny told her, causing her to raise an eyebrow as their server placed two glasses of water on the table.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "You've got one chance to say otherwise."

He just chuckled. "I'm sure. Anything you want."

"Alright."

They were given a few minutes to look over the menu before their server came back to take their orders.

"Are you both ready to order?" The brunette girl asked, pulling out her order pad.

"I'm ready." Venus said, looking to Johnny as she spoke.

"We're ready."

"Alright, what can I get for you then?"

Johnny motioned for Venus to order first.

"I'll have your Caribbean Salad with grilled chicken, no green onions, no cilantro, and I'd like your Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken strips, extra sauce on the side. And I'd like a strawberry lemonade."

"Alright, and for you sir?"

"Custom Combination, Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs and Spicy Garlic and Lime Grilled Shrimp. And an iced tea."

"Alright, your order should be up soon."

The two just nodded and the server left, taking their order to the kitchen.

"So…" Johnny muttered, staring at Venus.

"So?" She asked, staring back, leaning back against the booth cushion, her arms crossed.

"What shall we talk about?"

"Uhm, I don't know."

"Well, let's start with talking about Ashlynn." Johnny said after a few minutes of silence, in which there server had given them their respective drinks.

"I suppose." Venus said as she sipped at her strawberry lemonade.

"How has she really been these past few years?" He asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't know how she was when she lived here, because when I met her, she was changing into who she is now." She said, brushing some of her straightened hair out of her face.

"Hmmm, well, when she lived here, she was a very optimistic person, always smiling, always laughing, always wearing bright colors. She wore sundresses and other really girly things, did about half of what her mother told her too. Always wore a pair of shorts under her dresses so she could climb the trees. She liked working on cars, and more often than not always went home with stained clothes." Johnny said, a small reminiscent smile on his face. "Those were the good days."

"Well, when S and I met Ash, she wore bright colors and stuff for like a couple weeks, but then she was wearing all black and dark colors. S and I had been friends for a while before Ash showed up and we watched Ash as she rejected high society and soon became a high society reject. We soon gravitated towards her, integrating ourselves into her life and she slowly accepted us. She still likes working on cars, they're a big part of her life I guess. I've not seen her climbing any trees though." Venus said, a thoughtful look on her face as she tried to remember.

"Probably a good thing. She has a knack for getting up a tree no problem, but getting down, she'll nearly kill herself." Johnny said with a laugh.

"Yeah, now she just gets kicked by horses." Venus snickered.

"How did that happen anyway?"

Venus snorted, a grin spreading across her face. "She didn't turn the sound on her cell off and it spooked the horse, the horse kicked and she didn't move fast enough."

"Sounds like Ashlynn." Johnny said with a smile as their server came back with their food.

"Is there anything else I can get you." The brunette girl asked.

"Nah, not right now," Johnny said, looking questioningly at Venus.

"Nope, I'm good." Venus said dismissively.

As the server walked away, Venus poured some of the salad dressing on part of the salad and began eating. Johnny watched her a few moments before beginning to eat his own meal.

"So, any other similarities between my Ashlynn and yours?" Johnny asked.

"She still gets messy as hell when working with cars." Venus said with a snort. "She always bitches and complains about it, but she still does it."

"I see…" He trailed off, eating more. "How was she during her pregnancy?"

"She was a royal bitch." Venus deadpanned. "Sometimes. Other times she was just like she is now. And then when the squirt was born, she was the happiest I'd seen her since I met her."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She answered between bites. "I mean, she was happy, but underneath the happy, she was still sad. She wasn't faking being happy or anything, she was just sad as well." She paused, looking thoughtfully at her food. "I think it's because she missed her life here, family, friends, you know? And when she saw the squirt, it was like he was family that she wasn't going to let anyone take from her, because he gave her some sort of semblance of normality and familiarity. I mean, I suppose if I were in her position, I'd feel the same way?"

"Why is that?"

"Because the only people I have are Silver, Ashlynn, and the munchkin." Venus said without realizing it.

"No family?"

Venus looked up and bit her lip before answering. "No, no family."

"Can I ask what happened?"

"You can ask, but I won't answer."

"Fair enough."

They finished eating in a comfortable silence until their server came back to collect their dishes.

"Can I interest you in anything else?" She asked.

"I could use a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri." Venus said.

"I'll have a chocolate shake." Johnny told the girl and she nodded and was off. Looking at Venus curiously, he couldn't help but ask, "So, where did you get the name Venus?"

"I came up with it." She told him.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like giving people my real name. They pity me. I hate pity." She told him as the server brought them their requested beverages.

"I see."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm trying to figure you out."

"Good luck there."

Johnny just smiled as he drank what he could of the shake he ordered, eating the more solid portion with a spoon as Venus drank her Strawberry Daiquiri. When they were both done fifteen minutes later, Johnny paid for the meal and then they were off to Venus' car again.

"So, where are we going now?" She asked as they both settled into the car.

"Just drive around, whatever sparks your interest, I'll direct us back home in time for dinner." Johnny told her.

"You sure you want me to just drive around?"

"No, but let's do it anyway."

"You asked for it." She said as she pulled out of the parking stall and zipped her way out of the parking lot and onto the relatively busy streets.

For the next two and a half hours, they just drove around aimlessly, talking every now and then, listening to music; which the had a long discussion over who's music choice was better. Venus won. They stopped at a gas station so Venus could fill up her car.

"You want anything from inside?" Johnny asked as he got out and stretched his legs.

"Ew, no." Venus said, scrunching her nose. "I don't like gas station stuff. I could go for Lollicup though. Haven't had that in a while."

"Lollicup, huh?" Johnny asked, leaning against her car.

"Yesss, Lollicup." She said with a grin.

"There's one about thirty minutes from here."

"Reeeaallly?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm…"

Once the tank was full and the pump put back, gas cap replaced and the gas door shut, Venus and Johnny slid back into the car.

"So, Lollicup?" She asked as she started the car.

"Sure."

"How much you wanna bet that we'll make it there in fifteen minutes?"

"I'd rather not."

"Spoilsport." She muttered, zipping out of the gas station lot and followed Johnny's directions to said location of Lollicup. "FREAKING A, HURRY UP!" She yelled at the car the cut her off.

"You're a crazy driver."

"I know." She grinned. And just as she said, they made it to Lollicup in fifteen minutes, despite the slow traffic. "I'm awesome." She stated as she got out of the car, Johnny following.

"That's one way to put it." Johnny joked.

Venus just scoffed as they walked inside. They waited in line patiently, well, Johnny waited patiently, Venus was quite impatient and was about to explode and tell the people to hurry up when they finally reached the counter.

"Finally," She muttered, pulling out her wallet. "I'd like a large Honeydew slush with strawberry jelly." She turned to Johnny. "You want anything?"

"No, we can share." He said with a smirk.

Blushing lightly, Venus nodded. "Okay." Turning back to the cashier. "That will be all."

"That's going to be four dollars and ninety-six cents."

Nodding, Venus handed the guy a five.

"Four cents is your change, here's your receipt, it should be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Venus muttered, going to sit down to wait.

A few minutes later, the drink was ready and Venus grabbed it and a straw, shaking the drink before sticking the straw in the sealed top and taking a sip.

"Mmm, I love Lollicup!" She declared, taking another sip before shyly holding it out for Johnny to take.

Johnny smiled, not taking the cup from her, simply taking a sip as Venus held the cup. "Very sweet, but tasty."

Venus blushed again as they walked back to the car, sipping on the drink. The drive back to Johnny's house was silent, but not uncomfortably so. Venus would occasionally hold the drink out to Johnny and he'd take the cup, brushing his fingers against hers, causing her to blush. All too soon for their liking, they arrived at Johnny's house and Venus parked and shut the car off. Sighing softly, she turned in her seat to face Johnny.

"Something wrong?" He asked, slightly worried.

"My parents died when I was younger." She blurted out. "I try not to show it, but I get jealous of people who have family. I get snarky, sometimes because I don't like people, but also because I'm jealous they have something I don't." She elaborated. "I don't like telling people about it because then they feel sorry for me. The only people I've told are Silver and Ashlynn."

Johnny studied her for a second before taking one of her hands in his. "We all lose people. It sucks. But for every person we lose, another takes their place."

"I guess." She muttered, looking down at their clasped hands. "And I didn't come up with the name Venus; not on my own anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I had a brother. He would always call me V, I'm not really sure why, but I lost him too. In a car crash. I was sixteen when it happened. I was in the car with him. When it crashed, I was sent through the windshield. The doctors told me I was even lucky to be alive. My brother was in ICU with me, but he didn't make it. After he died, I stopped going by my name and started going by Venus all the time."

"So, what's your real name then?"

"My birth name is Eva Christiana Giovanna Russo."


	9. Fun Times at the Beach... or not.

While Johnny and Venus had been eating and aimlessly driving around, Ashlynn and Luciano were at the beach as planned. It was fairly empty, not too many people, but not so few that the beach seemed deserted. Luciano was excited, very excited. He hardly held still as Ashlynn put sunscreen on him and was bouncing around, ready to run while Ashlynn put the sunscreen on herself.

"Bambino, relax. The ocean isn't going anywhere." She said with a smile.

"But I wanna go out there!" The child exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.

"And you will, as soon as I get everything and the sunscreen sinks in." She told him, tossing the tube of sunscreen back into her giant bag-purse with the towels and their change of clothes before picking up said bag. She stuffed the couple boxes of granola bars and water bottles into the bag before turning to Luciano, who was watching the waves crash onto the sand and recede to perform the same motion over and over again. "Alright Bambino, but if you get sunburnt, it's your own fault."

Luciano just grinned, reminding Ashlynn of Venus, causing her to roll her eyes as she held her hand out for Luciano's. The little boy took his mother's hand and they made they're way across the sand towards the water. Stopping a good distance away from the tide, Ashlynn rummaged through her bag and pulled out a sheet and with Luciano's help, she spread it across the sand and set her bag in the center of it.

Kicking her flip flips off onto the towel, Ashlynn picked the sunscreen up once more and pulled off her tank top.

"Alright kiddo, you need to put this on my back before we go out any farther." She said, sitting down and handing the bottle to Luciano.

"Ok Mamma!" He said excitedly as he took the bottle and applied said sunscreen to Ashlynn's back like she'd done to him. "All done!"

Ashlynn laughed softly as she stood up. "Alright, come on bambino. You stay close to me and don't go out any farther than I tell you, understand."

"Yes Mamma!" The bouncing ball of joy that was her son exclaimed.

She led him out to the edge of the tide, smiling at the familiar feeling of the water running over her feet, smiling wider as she heard Luciano giggle happily. Her anger at Dom was forgotten for the time being, she wasn't going to let it ruin the happy mood her son's happiness had given her. She slowly led him further into the tide, it was now nearly rushing up to Luciano's knees while it was only about half way up her calves.

"Stay right here Bambino." She told him, letting go of his hand and following the tide out, quickly crouching and scooping up and handful of soaking wet sand before running, more like limping fast, back up to Luciano so as to not get dragged out by the incoming wave.

"Why did you do that Mamma?"

Ashlynn smiled, crouching again, letting the rushing water run over her sand filled hand, letting the water take the little grains with it, leaving behind a white-ish circle.

"What is that?" Luciano asked.

"This, is a sand dollar." She told him, holding it out to him.

The young boy took it in his hands in slight awed wonder. "It's pretty."

"Yes it is. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can find the ones that are still alive."

"Alive?"

"Yeah. And sometimes, you can even find sand crabs, but they're sneaky little things." She told him with a smile.

"Can we find them?" He asked excitedly.

"We can sure try."

And for the next hour and a half, that's what they did, searched for sand crabs and sand dollars, getting soaked in the process. By the time they took a break, the two of them had quite the shell collection going and had about ten and a half sand dollars, three of which were still living, and they'd managed to find and release a few sand crabs, which had delighted Luciano greatly.

"Here Bambino," Ashlynn said as she handed him one of the towels before peeling off her shorts, leaving her in just her bikini, effectively exposing her bruised hip, and grabbing the other towel for herself.

After drying themselves off, they situated themselves on the sheet, Ashlynn with her towel covering her back and shoulders, so as to keep that area from getting burnt, and Luciano mimicked her with a grin.

"Here, eat some of these." She said, opening the box of chocolate chip granola and handing a couple of them to Luciano before opening a water bottle and handing that too him as well.

"Grazie Mamma."

"Prego," She murmured, eating a few of the granola bars for herself and downing half of one of the other water bottles.

They sat there for about fifteen to twenty minutes, just eating and listening to the sound of the ocean when a small group of people came up to them.

"Uhm, hi, this is probably a little strange, but we were kind of watching you and I wanted to come over and tell you that I think your little brother is really cute." One of the girls said.

"He's not my little brother." Ashlynn told the girl, taking a drink of water as she stared at the bottle blonde.

"Then is he some kid you watch?" Asked the only guy that Ashlynn could see from where she was sitting.

Ashlynn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, he's not just some kid I watch. He's-"

"He's her son." Came a male voice from behind her. A voice she was hoping to never have to hear again.

"How do you know that dude?" The one visible guy asked.

"Because he knows me." Ashlynn said, standing up and turning to face the familiar person. "Hello Marcos."

"Ash, babe, it's been a while."

"Yes, yes it has. Haven't seen you since graduation. Not that I really saw much of you before that though." She ground out, glaring at the smile on his face.

The group of people watched, confused as to what was going on, as Luciano stood slightly behind Ashlynn, his hand grasping the towel that was still draped around her.

"What brings you to Los Angeles?" Marcos asked, brushing his black hair out of his face.

"Family." She answered shortly.

"Family, huh?"

"That's what I said isn't it?"

"No need to be snarky."

"Snarky? I'm not being snarky."

"Then what do you call it?"

"Annoyed, pissed, unhappy." Ignoring him now, Ashlynn turned her attention to Luciano. "C'mon bambino. Time to go."

"So, what, you're just going to leave now?" Marcos asked, his dark brown eyes following her movements as she gathered everything and put it in her bag, slipping her flip flops back on and using the sheet as a makeshift bag for the collection of shells and sand dollars.

"Yeah, I'm going to visit my family. Introduce them to my son, since I was unable to when he was born."

"Don't you mean our son?" Marcos asked with a smirk. This was so unlike him, he never acted like this before Luciano had been born.

"Ah, no, if I meant that, I would have said that. I meant my, so I said my. Because that's what he is, he's my son. Not ours, not yours, mine." She said before hefting her bag up on her towel covered shoulder and taking Luciano's hand in hers and walking off.

Unfortunately, Marcos and his groupies followed.

"Actually, I do believe he's our son, seeing as you couldn't have created him by yourself." Marcos said smugly.

"No, Marcos." Ashlynn said, stopping near her car and turning to face him. "He's mine. You weren't even in the delivery room, Venus and Silver were. You weren't there to hear his first cries, you weren't there to hold him after I did, you weren't the one getting me through the labor pains, my friends were. You might as well be a faceless sperm donor, because you wanted nothing to do with my son during his birth and after. You left us, so, guess what, I don't want you in my life or his."

Marcos glared and before she knew what was happening, she was looking at her car and there was a pain in the left side of her face.

"Did you just hit me?" She asked, rubbing her cheek as she turned her head back to look at him.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked with a smirk.

"Honestly, you’re not actually worth it, but you know what? I'm going to go visit with my family and when they ask what happened, I will tell them exactly what happened and then I’m going to tell Venus and Silver when they ask. And you know what else? I’m going to go to sleep tonight, very happy with the knowledge that my family will do whatever it takes to keep you away from us."

“What are any of them going to do?” Marcos sneered, eyes narrowing at the grin on Ashlynn’s face.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the name Toretto floating around down here, and I’m fairly sure that you’re at least smart enough to know that it isn’t referring to me.”

“I might have heard it a time or two.”

“I’m sure you recognize the name Johnny Tran too. Before you ask, his family considers me one of their own, so I’m sure they’ll have their own ideas of how to deal with your sorry ass. And then, of course, I'm sure you remember Silver and Venus, you know, my two best friends that have been itching to get their hands on you for the bullshit you’ve put me through. For the record, Dominic Toretto is my cousin, his girlfriend is practically my sister, and Vincent Castello, his best friend, well he’s like that super protective older brother. So, when they see this bruise forming on my face, what do you think they're going to do?"

Marcos just stared blankly at her as the black haired girl of the group stared at her with wide eyes. "Dude, Toretto went to Lompoc!" She exclaimed.

"That's right." Ashlynn spoke mockingly. "Congratulations, give the girl a prize." Turning her attention back to Marcos, she raised an eyebrow. "So, what do you think they're gonna do, huh?"

"If they do anything, I'll sue them for assault." Marcos told her smugly.

"You would be lucky if there's any part of you still intact when they get done with you." Ashlynn said with a fake 'oh damn' expression on her face. "I mean, Venus already wants to kill you for walking out on me and my son, Silver would probably be content just castrating you, but my family, well, they're really protective, so who knows what they'll end up doing to you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Nope. Just a friendly warning. Ta now."

And with that, Ashlynn led Luciano to her car and quickly unlocked the door and ushered the boy into the back seat before sliding in herself. Once they were both situated, Ashlynn started the car and waved to Marcos and his groupies before she took off.

"Mamma?"

"Yes Bambino?"

"Who was that?"

"That, my beautiful baby, was your father."

"I don't like him."

Ashlynn laughed softly as she navigated through the barely familiar streets. "Me neither."

"I don't look like him."

"Not really, no."

"Are we going to meet more people?"

"Yes, we're going to meet the family. You know, the ones you keep pestering me about." She teased.

"Well, you always told me we'd meet them, but we never did!" The boy protested in his defense.

"I know Bambino, I know."

Ashlynn smiled as she made the last turn and parked next to Jesse's Jetta and cutting the engine before grabbing her bag and handing Luciano his change of clothes.

"Change under the towel Bambino." She told him before pulling her sweats on, with some difficulty, around the steering wheel and pulling her tank top back on.

"I'm ready, Mamma." Luciano said as Ashlynn pulled a mini brush out of the glove box.

"Alright Bambino. Let's go." She said, getting out of the car, grabbing her jacket, wallet, phone, and keys, locking and closing the door once Luciano was out.

Ashlynn led Luciano towards the store and poked her head in to see who was currently gathered in said store. She smiled when she saw only Mia, with her back turned. Picking Luciano up, Ahlynn quickly and quietly made her way to the counter, where she sat on one of the stools with Luciano in her lap and put a finger to her lips for him to be quiet. She smiled as he nodded, looking confused, before turning her attention back to Mia, just staring at the girl. She was rewarded a few minutes later when the slightly older girl turned around, a curious look on her face before she registered just who was sitting in front of her and screamed in surprise, drawing the attention of everyone from the garage as Ashlynn began laughing, hard.

"Oh, Mia… Hahah, you should've…. Oh, the look on your face!" She said between laughs.

"It's not funny Ashlynn! You scared the shit out of me!" Mia practically yelled.

"Mamma, she said that word." Luciano spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to the little boy sitting on Ashlynn's lap.

"Yes, yes she did. And what have I told you about that word?" Ashlynn asked, looking down at her son.

"That it's a bad word and I had better not say it until I'm older. Or you'll wash my mouth with soap." Luciano recited.

"That's right Bambino." She told him with a proud smile. "And if she had noticed you, she probably wouldn't have used it."

"Ohmigosh!" Mia exclaimed as she took in the appearance of the little boy; his brown hair still damp from the beach, his steel gray eyes shining nervously. "He's so cute! He's like a mini you!"

"Let's hope not." Dom and Vince mumbled at the same time, the team all coming up to surround the counter.

"Hey! I wasn't that bad!" Ashlynn pouted, sticking her tongue out childishly at the two before beginning to brush her hair with the small brush.

"Girl, what happened to your face?" Letty asked as she watched Ashlynn.

"Run in with my ex." She mumbled, continuing to brush her hair, pulling the hair band from it as she felt everyone's eyes rove over her left cheek.

"He hit you?" Dom asked, his voice dangerously soft.

"Sì! L'uomo cattivo ha colpito mamma!" Luciano exclaimed. "Non mi piace lui."

"Non mi piace neanche lui." Dom told the little boy with a crooked grin that Ashlynn was sure only he could pull off.

"Lui è un uomo cattivo." Luciano said, crossing his arms.

"Sono d'accordo." Dom said, beaming at the boy.

"And you got mad at me." Ashlynn muttered, glaring half-heartedly at Dom.

"Perché?" Luciano asked, looking up at Dom and the Ashlynn.

"Perché ho avuto un bambino prima di lui." Ashlynn said with a small smile down at Luciano.

"For those of us that don't speak Italian, us being me and Leon mostly, what are you saying?" Jesse asked, looking quite confused.

"The kid was saying how he doesn't like Baby Girl's ex 'cause he's a mean, bad man that hit her, Dom agreed, and then the kid wanted to know why Dom got mad and Ash told him it was 'cause she had a baby before Dom did." Vince translated.

"You know, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say at one time." Ashlynn said, staring at Vince thoughtfully.

"Ha ha, you're so funny."

"No, I'm serious." She said straight-faced, causing everyone but Vince to laugh. "Anyways, Luciano, this is our family, Dom, Mia, Vince, Letty, Leon, and Jesse." She pointed to each of them in turn. "Everyone, this is my Bambino, Luciano."

"Who's he?" Luciano asked, pointing to a blonde man who seemed to have popped up out of nowhere.

"That is Brian. He's new. Ish." Ashlynn told him, causing Dom to chuckle. "Something tells me he's here to either work on the piece of junk he brought in about a month ago, or take Mia out for dinner. Or possibly both."

"That piece of junk isn't a piece of junk anymore." Brian defended good-naturedly.

"That so?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"He's telling the truth, it's a-freaking-mazing." Jesse said, his eyes alight with what Ashlynn interpreted as giddiness.

"I dunno, I mean, I saw that thing when he brought it in, it was a real piece of work." She said, mock doubtfulness in her voice.

"C'mon then, we'll show you." Jesse said with a smile.

"Alright." Ashlynn said, pulling her hair up into a messy bun, putting the brush in one of her jacket pockets before she stood up, Luciano on her right hip as she stretched the left one before following after Jesse with a limp, the rest of the team, and Brian, following after them.

Ashlynn stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the bright orange car before her in awe. "No way. There's no way that that is the same piece of junk he brought in before I left."

"But it is."

"You guys must make quite a bit of money for body repair and paint jobs if you guys are this good." Ashlynn said, glancing from the car to the team as she walked around it, surveying it, hitching Luciano higher on her hip, as he'd begun to slip. "I know V did."

"No he didn't." Dom spoke, confused as to what Ashlynn was talking about, seeing as Vince wasn't really one for doing paint jobs, body repair maybe, but not paint jobs.

"No, not Vince, Venus. My other V." Ashlynn said with a grin. "She did most, if not all, of the paint for all of our cars."

"Isn't she here with you?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, she and S are down here too. You'll meet them at Race Wars, possibly before." Ashlynn said, still looking at the car, not completely convinced it was the same car, especially when Jesse popped the hood. "You guys may not get along well, just a fair warning."

"You said she did the paint for all of your cars?" Letty asked.

"Yeah, she's killer with detail when given enough time. She was quite meticulous with her car. It came out totally awesome." Ashlynn said, finally looking away from the repaired car.

"What's yours look like?"

"It's out front. Next to the Jetta." Ashlynn told her. "You're all welcome to go look at it."

With that being said, Ashlynn and the team all walked out of the bay doors and out to the front of the store where her Cheshire car sat, its appearance shocking the team as Ashlynn smiled.

"That's definitely a car you can't miss." Vince said, his head tilted slightly.

"Yeah." Leon muttered. "Speaking of cars you can't miss, I saw a car right before I got back here that I've never seen before in town. I assume it was one of your friends." The last bit directed towards Ashlynn.

"Uhm, yeah, most likely. Was it a Honda Acura RSX Type S?" She asked, looking over at Leon.

"Yeah, it had a wicked purple dragon design on it." He said with a nod.

"Yeah, that's V's car, it's one of her babies." Ashlynn said with a smile.

"Tran was with her."

"I know."

"You know?" Dom's voice was edged with a sharpness as he spoke.

"Yeah, I know." Ashlynn said, turning to look at Dom, eyebrow raised, daring him to say anything about it.

"They looked like they were getting pretty cozy walking out of the Lollicup together." Leon said, glancing between Dom and Ashlynn.

Ashlynn turned her attention to Leon. "Lollicup? Mmm, now I want Lollicup."

"Cozy?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you use the word cozy?"

"Since it fit's the description." Leon told the larger man.

"Cozy how?" Mia piped in.

"Sharing the same drink, he didn't even take the cup from her as he took a sip. She was blushing pretty dark too." Leon said as he thought back on it.

"Awe, my V is growing up!" Ashlynn squeed with a smile as she shifted Luciano to her left hip, hissing softly.

The team all raised eyebrows at her, wondering what caused her to hiss. Seriously, did everyone forget that she told them she got kicked by a horse?

"What?" She asked, staring at them strangely.

"You ok girl?" Letty asked.

"Yeah, got kicked by a horse yesterday, remember?"

They all had dawning looks of recognition.

"Yeah."

"How bad is it?" Jesse asked, concern flickering across his face.

"Pretty bad."

"Can we see it?" Letty asked.

"Uh, I guess." Ashlynn replied. "Can we go back inside though?"

There was a chorus of various affirmative answers before they all went back into the store. Ashlynn set Luciano down on one of the stools and stretched her back and legs before turning her attention to the team. They were all watching her like hawks watching their prey as she slid the left side of her waistband down to reveal the whole bruise, the top of it rest just below her bikini bottom. The bruise was about four to four and a half inches in diameter and there were some areas that had scabbed over, not that you could see said areas very well due to the dark coloring of the bruise.

Brian whistled. "Damn, that looks bad."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad, I told you." She said as she pulled the waistband back up. "But it doesn't hurt too bad, just if someone touches it. And if I sit for too long of a period of time it gets tight. It could be worse."

"How?" Vince asked skeptically.

"Could have broken my hip."

"That's true."

"So, anyways, what are you doing here?" Ashlynn asked, turning her attention to Brian.

"Dom and I are taking the piece of junk car for a final test run." Brian told her.

"Oooh, I see." She said with a small smile.

"Yeah, so, we're going to head out and we'll see you later." Dom said, kissing Letty softly and ruffling Luciano's hair before going into the garage with Brian and leaving moments later.

"So, how long are you here for?" Mia asked.

"Well, it's what, about two o'clock?" Ashlynn said, pulling her phone out to look at it. "Dinner will probably be at six again, so I'm here until about five thirty-ish?"

"So, how're they treating you in the Tran household?" Letty asked.

"Like family." Ashlynn answered, sitting down between Jesse and Luciano. "I mean, I seem to be the only person who remembers that Johnny was a good friend of ours before I was dragged away."

Vince scoffed. "After you left Baby Girl, everything kinda fell apart."

"So I'm noticing." She mumbled.

"Mamma?" Luciano said, tugging on her jacket sleeve. "I'm hungry."

Ashlynn smiled. "You're always hungry Bambino. What do you want?"

Luciano looked thoughtful for a moment, aware that everyone was watching him, causing him to blush lightly. "Can I have tuna?"

"That depends," Ashlynn replied, turning to look at Mia. "You guys still serve tuna?"

"Yeah, the only person that likes it is Brian though." Mia replied.

"Don't worry about it, Luc just likes tuna." Ashlynn told her with a soft smile. "A lot."

"Alright." And with that, Mia made the boy a tuna sandwich and cut in in half diagonally and placed the plate in front of his with a smile, grabbing a back of chips and a bottle of juice. "There you go kiddo."

"Grazie!" Luciano exclaimed, digging into the food set before him, causing Mia and Ashlynn to laugh.

"He's cute." Jesse said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah he is." Ashlynn agreed, reaching out to smooth the young boy's messy hair out of his face, wincing as she smiled, causing her jaw to twinge in pain.

"That looks like it hurts." Letty said, reaching over and brushing her fingers across the younger girl's face.

"Yeah, kinda does." Ashlynn affirmed. "It was weird though…"

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked curiously.

"Well, like, when he and I were friends before we started dating, he was really nice and polite, complete gentleman, like out of a novel or something. When we started dating, he was like that even more so, and it was nice. I mean, I can't count the number of times he'd bring me coffee or cookies, the roses were a bit overkill, but it was sweet, at the time. But then, after I got pregnant, he slowly stopped being that way; I mean, he'd still be a gentleman and stuff, but it was kinda like he was only doing it because he had to or something. And then Luciano was born…" She trailed off, looking over at her son, who was still busily munching on his food, not paying attention to the adults around him. "He wasn't in the delivery room with me, I don't even think he was in the hospital at all. Venus and Silver were with me, and I should have known then that he wanted nothing to do with us…but he was there for three months before he just walked out, began ignoring me and crap. I was broke for a little while there, but I'm good now." She paused again. "I haven't seen him since graduation five years ago and so, when I heard his voice, I was really surprised, but I was pissed too. I took my anger out on him, which he totally deserved, I pissed him off and when he hit me, well, I was shocked. I never would have thought he'd do something like that."

"What did you say that pissed him off?" Mia asked.

"I told him that he might as well have been a faceless sperm donor, for the fact that he wanted nothing to do with me and my son." Ashlynn told them proudly. "Told him Luciano was my son, not his, not ours, but mine. And as you can see, he didn't take that too well."

"Poi la mamma gli disse che probabilmente tutti lo avrebbero ucciso perché lui la picchiava." Luciano piped up, causing the adults to look at him in surprise as he drank his juice. They hadn't realized he'd been listening.

"You told him we'd probably kill him?" Vince asked, eyebrows raised.

"Not quite in those terms, but yeah." Ashlynn confirmed. "I mean, I know you and Dom were brought up to never hit a woman and I know it pisses you both off when you see it happen. And Letty, well, 'nough said there." Ashlynn paused with a grin. "So, I might have said that between you guys and Johnny, Venus, and Silver, that he'd be lucky if there was enough of him left intact to press assault charges like he threatened to."

"Penso che la mamma lo abbia spaventato." Luciano muttered.

"I'm sure I did scare him Bambino, but I'm also sure that he didn't take me seriously." Ashlynn scoffed, stealing one of Luciano's chips.

"Well, he better. Otherwise, he will end up dead." Vince mumbled.

"Mmm, I'm sure." Ashlynn muttered, leaning her head on Jesse's shoulder, smiling when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"So, what's it like where you live?" Mia asked.

"Well, the house is a bit out of the way to get too from town, but it's really nice. Quiet, usually." She replied. "The house is pretty big, there's a lot of land. Which is good for V, 'cause she loves horses, and as much as she hates most kids, she teaches them. And the garage and work shed are pretty big too, so that's pretty amazing. I converted one of the larger bedrooms into a dance studio and I teach kids ballet and stuff. And Silver uses the actual studio to teach kids art."

"That sounds amazing." Mia said with a dreamy expression on her face.

"It is. And you'll get to see it soon, I hope." Ashlynn said with a smile.

"I hope so too!" Mia cried joyously.

Ashlynn just smiled and listened as they all began talking about visiting her house, even Luciano was talking, in English this time. She was glad, it meant he was becoming less nervous around everyone. And for the next hour or so, she was happy knowing the her son would grow up knowing family.

"Grr, time to go." She mumbled, sitting up reluctantly.

"Do we have to Mamma?"

"Yes Bambino, but don't worry, you'll get to see them soon."

Sighing softly to herself, Ashlynn stood and stretched her leg, hissing softly as her muscles didn't want to cooperate with her. Luciano hopped down as Ashlynn put money down on the counter to pay for Luciano's food.

"You don't have to do that." Mia told her.

"Oh yes I do."

"Dom won't accept it."

"What Dom doesn't know won't hurt him." Ashlynn said with a smile before she hugged Mia over the counter before turning to Vince and giving him a hug as well. She then turned her attention to Letty and smiled as the older girl gave her a look that told her to not even try it, but she did anyway. "You know you love me." Ashlynn told her with a laugh as she let go of Letty and hugged Leon. "It was good to see you again."

"Likewise." He told her with a smile.

Ashlynn smiled as she turned to Jesse and took his hand in hers and Luciano's in the other, they boy waving to everyone, and walked out of the shop to her car. She had Luciano get in the back seat and buckle up before turning her attention back to Jesse.

"So, we'll be seeing you at Race Wars?" Jesse asked softly.

"Definitely." She told him with a smile. "And then, you'll all be coming up to my house and staying there for a bit."

"Sounds good, I'd like that."

"Me too." She told him softly as she wrapped her arms around him and kissing him softly. "But for now I have to go."

"Alright." He said softly, kissing her again. "See you soon."

"Bye for now Jesse." And with that she got in her car and situated herself before speeding off, honking the horn as she left.

"I like them, Mamma." Luciano told her, breaking the silence that had settled in the car.

"Yeah?" She asked, turning into the street that led up to Johnny's house.

"Yeah!"

"Good. They like you too."

Ashlynn smiled as she saw Luciano blush in the rear view mirror and pulled up into the drive way where she saw Venus' car, Venus and Johnny still in said car. As she cut the engine, Ashlynn saw Venus dart out of her car and into the house as Johnny scrambled to get out of the passenger seat.

"What the fuck did you do Johnny?" She snapped as she slid out of her car, ignoring the fact that Luciano was in the backseat still.

"I didn't do anything!" Johnny defended.

"Well, what happened?" Ashlynn growled.

"She told me what happened to her family and what her name was and before I could say anything, she's out of the car. I think she was crying."

"Crying? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Shit… She hasn't cried since…she hasn't cried in a very long time." Ashlynn turned back to her car, where Luciano was still getting out. "Alright, Luciano, you're going to stay with Johnny alright?" She grabbed her things and led Luciano over to Johnny before going into the house, slipping her sandals off before hurrying up the stairs, vaguely hearing Johnny and Luciano come in and shut the front door behind her.

"Venus?" She called softly through the door.

"Go away!" Was the muffled reply.

"No." Ashlynn said as she opened the door. "You know, if you want to keep people out, you should try locking the door."

"Shut up Ash." Venus grumbled, throwing one of the pillows at the long haired girl.

"What's wrong V?" Ashlynn asked as she sidestepped the pillow and closed the door behind her before making her way to the bed where Venus sat, curled in a ball.

"I don't know!" The smaller girl sniffled. "I told him what happened, but then I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to see the pity."

"He won't pity you V," Ashlynn said, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. "He's worried about you though, he was freaking out, didn't know what to do when you took off running in here."

"Really?" Venus sniffled again, looking at Ashlynn.

"Yeah. I was about ready to beat him into the ground 'cause I thought he did something."

Venus cracked a small smile before frowning again. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to your face?"

"Oh, haha, funny thing about that-"

"Stop stalling, what happened."

"Marcos happened."

"He's here?"

"I was surprised too."

"What happened?"

"I pissed him off and he hit me, but it's all good. He should think twice about doing it again."

"Why?"

"'Cause you know, the team knows, Johnny's gonna know, and Silver's gonna know. I know how protective you all are. And I told him as much."

"Oh, yeah. That would probably make anyone think twice. Or it should anyway." Venus said matter-of-factly.

"C'mon, let's go-"

She cut off at the sound of a large bang and she and V glanced at each other before darting out of the room to see what was going on. The sight that greeted them at the bottom of the stairs was not a nice one. SWAT had busted the door down and were trying to take Johnny. The only complication? Luciano wouldn't let go of his leg and it was infuriating one of the officers. Said officer grabbed on of Luciano's arms and yanked him away, causing the little boy to scream as a loud pop filled the air. Ashlynn was angry as she ran towards the officer, only to be caught by another one, which she struggled against.

"Let me go! He hurt my son!" The noise that had been going on suddenly stopped at what she said, everyone but her and Luciano seemed to freeze. "Let me go! My baby is hurt!"

Instead of being let go, the officer restraining her took her over to where Luciano was crumpled on the ground crying before letting her go and standing in front of her so as to keep her from attacking the officer that hurt her son.

"Bambino, Mamma è qui, ho te." She whispered to him as he cried.

"Fa male, fa male, Mamma fa male davvero." He cried.

"I know baby, I know it hurts…" She whispered as she cradled him to her, careful of the boy's right side.

Quickly gathering themselves, the officers began to haul Johnny out the doors, causing Venus to flip out and result in being restrained by yet another officer. Silence rang through the house as Johnny's father slapped him before allowing the officers to take his son.

"O'Conner!" Ashlynn yelled at the officer that had restrained her as the officers were all filing out of the house. Said officer tensed and stopped, turning to face the kneeling woman. "You better tell your superiors I'd like a word with them. And I'm not taking no for an answer."

He stared at her a few moments before nodding and following out after the rest of the officers, leaving the family alone.

"What the hell was that?" Venus cried angrily.

"They arrested him because they think that he's behind the truck heists." Ashlynn murmured as she stood, bringing Luciano with her. "I have to get him to a hospital." And with that, Ashlynn too was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sì! L'uomo cattivo ha colpito mamma! - the bad man hit mom  
> Non mi piace lui. - I don’t like him  
> Non mi piace neanche lui. - I do not like him either  
> Lui è un uomo cattivo. - He is a bad man  
> Sono d'accordo. - I agree  
> Perché? - Why  
> Perché ho avuto un bambino prima di lui. - Because I had a baby before him  
> Poi la mamma gli disse che probabilmente tutti lo avrebbero ucciso perché lui la picchiava. - then mom told him that everyone would probably kill him because he hit her  
> "Penso che la mamma lo abbia spaventato. - I think mom scared him  
> Bambino, Mamma è qui, ho te. - Baby, Mamma is here, I've got you.  
> Fa male, fa male, Mamma fa male davvero. - It hurts, it hurts, Mamma it really hurts.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always welcome, in fact, I love them. Constructive criticism is welcome, outright rude comments are not.


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